Reports of violence trickled in from all parts of the Valley and Jammu region where angry protesters pelted stones at policemen defying curfew.
NEW DELHI; The all-party meet convened by the prime minister has decided to work to calm tensions over the Amarnath shrine board land issue in Jammu and Kashmir, where continuing violence claimed another life on Wednesday.
Reports of violence trickled in from all parts of the Valley and Jammu region where angry protesters pelted stones at policemen defying curfew. One person was killed in Kathua.
The steps planned by the all-party meet include immediate dialogue with the agitators and a possible visit by an all party delegation to the troubled region.
“All options are open for deciding the level of dialogue with the agitators,” home minister Shivraj Patil said. It has also opened the possibility of the talks being held at the level of prime minister Manmohan Singh.
The 36 parties present agreed on the broad contours of the approach to be adopted by the government to tackle the crisis. Apart from initiating a dialogue, which Patil said could be started “immediately”, the meeting also asked the government to provide all facilities for the Amarnath pilgrims.
The fact that the BJP, the main opposition party backing the agitation in Jammu, attended the meeting has raised hope of an early resolution of the row.
The all-party meet unanimously appealed to the agitators to help restore normalcy. This despite BJP chief Rajnath Singh putting forth a set of three demands as a prerequisite for the restoration of normalcy in Jammu. The BJP has stuck to its demands that the controversial land be returned to the Amarnath shrine board, that J&K Governor NN Vohra be recalled, and that direct dialogue be started with the Amarnath sangarsh samiti, which spearheads the agitation.
Barring the land transfer, the government appeared prepared to go along with the BJP’s other demands. The BJP chief was accompanied by two of his senior colleagues Jaswant Singh and Arun Jaitley.
All efforts were made by the BJP leadership to maintain the party’s distinct identity on the issues confronting Jammu and Kashmir. This even led to a minor argument between the Prime Minister and Jaitley as the latter made a spirited attempt to stay focused on Jammu.
Sources privy to the deliberations said Jaitley retorted to Singh’s suggestion that the psyche of Kashmir needs to be understood to resolve the crisis in the state. “Presently there is urgent need to understand Jammu and its problems if peace is to be brought back in the state,” Jaitley reportedly said.
The government’s response to the growing pressure for Vohra’s scalp was calculated and on expected lines. “There is no question of his removal,” external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee said to a mediaperson’s query. Strengthening the government’s public posturing on the issue, the Congress also disassociated itself from its senior leader Dr Karan Singh’s demand for Vohra’s removal.
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