Amarnath row: ‘Agitation in Jammu will continue’

The group spearheading agitation over Amarnath issue decided to continue its stir after talks failed to make any headway.

The group spearheading the agitation over the Amarnath land transfer issue decided to continue its stir after talks with the all party team failed to make any headway and the two sides decided to hold another round.

“The agitation in Jammu will continue,” Leela Karan Sharma, convenor of the Shri Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti (SASS), said after the over hour-long first round of talks with the all party team led by Home Minister Shivraj Patil.

“The talks today were inconclusive. We will meet again,” Sharma said adding ‘no new proposals’ have been made to resolve the crisis.

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After announcing that it will boycott the talks, the Samiti, leading the month-long agitation, agreed to meet the all party team after their demand that Kashmiri leaders should kept out of the exercise was accepted.

The all party team relented and Farooq Abdullah (National Conference), Mehbooba Mufti (PDP) and Union Minister Saifuddin Soz stayed away.

Over 50 protestors were arrested on Saturday for violating curfew orders as the Army staged flag marches in several districts of the Jammu region.

Reviewing law and order situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Patil asked the state government to deal the current situation with a balanced approach.

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Curfew orders were defied and protest rallies held at various places in Jammu, Samba, Kathua and Udhampur districts, officials sources said.

Slogan-shouting protestors of also burnt effigies of Governor N N Vohra and the PDP chief.

The delegation which flew in from Delhi around 0930 hours, proceeded to a guest house where the members were to hold talks with SASS leaders.