Jammu peace talks: not-so well begun, lots to be done

Asked what they would do if Prime Minister Manmohan Singh invited the Samiti to New Delhi for talks, Sharma said: “We will definitely go as our doors are open for talks. But there should be an agenda for talks… some concrete proposals”.

Referring to the talks with Patil’s team which lasted for over an hour in the afternoon, he said: “We put forth our demands including restoration of land to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), removal of the Governor and compensation to those who died in the agitation”.

Patil reportedly asked the 24-member Samiti team to suspend their agitation in view of the ongoing negotiations. But the latter refused to budge, saying the agitation would continue till all their demands were met.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Patil said they wanted to arrive at an amicable solution which was acceptable to all sides. “We will present the viewpoints of all the parties before the Prime Minister, but any solution in the matter has to be found only through negotiations,” he said. The all-party delegation is leaving for Srinagar tomorrow.

Referring to the four-member team set up by Vora for holding talks with the Samiti members, Patil said: “The Governor’s people will also hold dialogue in the matter. However, nothing can be achieved through violence or force.”

Earlier, the peace process was nearly derailed even before it began as the Samiti threatened to boycott if the three leaders from the Kashmir Valley — PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, National Conference patron Dr Farooq Abdullah and Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz — were not kept out of the exercise. It was Patil who intervened and prevailed on the trio to stay away.

According to sources, during the morning session of the meeting, Patil took both Farooq and Mehbooba to another room and convinced them of the need to get the SASS on board. “It is of no purpose if we fail to include them in the meeting today,” he is reported to have told them.

Mehbooba is said to have agreed, saying, “if they feel this is the hitch, I will not be there in the post-lunch session”. But Farooq reportedly was reluctant and stood his ground. Emphasising his party’s secular credentials, he reportedly said: “This is my state. These are my people, I am not an outsider and I have to be in the meeting to listen to everybody’s viewpoint.” During the lunch break, Farooq was visibly disturbed. Asked about the proceedings, both he and Soz refused to comment. “Ask the Home Minister, he will brief on everything,” they said, while rushing to their vehicles. Tight security arrangements were in place for today’s meeting. Troops were deployed at all vulnerable areas, and the lanes leading to the main road were cut off with barbed wire fencing to restrict movement of people during curfew hours.