Patil came to ‘see, hear and understand’

As Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil wound up his three-day visit to J-K today, the Hurriyat Conference’s moderate faction remained abs...

As Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil wound up his three-day visit to J-K today, the Hurriyat Conference’s moderate faction remained absent from his itinerary. But Patil, who met with various other groups here today, emphasised that talks with the Hurriyat could be held later, and his current visit was only to ‘‘see, to hear and to understand’’ the situation here.

Patil’s visit is expected to be followed by more decisive statements from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who is scheduled to visit the state later this month.

Minister for Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs Ghulam Nabi Azad, who accompanied Patil, said the visit was a fresh initiative undertaken by the Centre and it needed to be looked at outside the scope of the organisations, which have, ‘‘for whatever reason’’, stayed away from Patil’s visit. Patil admitted: ‘‘I do not attach great importance to this visit. But everything takes time. My visit will take just those few steps forward in improving the situation. Climbing Mount Everest begins with a few steps.’’

On the final leg of his visit, Patil met members of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), the District Congress Committee and other organisations that re-emphasised the long-standing demand that Ladakh be made a Union Territory. Rigzin Spalbar, chairman of the LAHDC, said, ‘‘We want a minimum of Rs 100 crore every year from the state. Currently we get about Rs 60 crore.’’ Patil said the oft-repeated demand would be considered, though he spoke of the fragmentation such a move might result in. The Home Minister visit also talked with the corps commanders of 14 Corps on the security situation in the area.