All-party talks fail, no solution to Amarnath land row

Jammu: The talks between the Shri Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti and 18-member all-party delegation failed to find a solution to the Amarnath Land row.

The 18-member delegation led by Home Minister Shivraj Patil arrived in Jammu on August 9 and is now returning to Delhi after the meeting failed to find a solution to Jammu protest.

The delegation met leaders in Jammu and Srinagar and is believed to soon come up with a solution acceptable to all. It has decided to compensate all the victims of the agitation including fruit growers in Kashmir for all the losses they have suffered due to the protest.

Even after 24 hours of intense dialogue the meeting wasn’t able to reach to a common solution.

“The main reason for the conflict is political interest. A common idea prevails in Jammu that it is being ignored because of the valley,” says Secretary-General Samajwadi Party (SP) Amar Singh.

CNN IBN learnt that the delegation is now looking at two concrete proposals to resolve the crisis:

• Implement the double bench high court order to pre-fabricate structures for Amarnath yatris.
• Reconstitute the representation of the Amarnath Shrine Board so that more people from both Jammu and Kashmir are involved.

Though on the ground there is no respite from the violence, the fact that all party delegation bowed before the demand of the Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti and kept the valley politicians out has angered them. So, now even Mehbooba Mufti led People’s Democratic Party(PDP) will join the march to Muzaffarabad along with separatist leaders and fruit growers.

“The man keeping a brave face in this crisis..is the Home Minister Shivraj Patil,” says Mehbooba.

We have to ensure that trucks carrying local produce is sent to rest of the country. If due to any reason they are not able to then the government should also consider buying the produce,” says Patil.

While the BJP's Arun Jaitly was also a part of the all-party delegation, the party clearly has worked out an agitation plan to make the most of the existing political fiasco. A nationwide campaign demanding the transfer of land back to the Amarnath Shrine board kicks off..

“It is almost 40 days. These discussions must have begun earlier,” says BJP General-Secretary Arun Jaitley.