Click to play videoNew Delhi: There has been no real improvement on the ground just yet in Jammu and Kashmir. An all-party delegation headed by Home Minister Shivraj Patil is in Jammu holding talks with the Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti on the forest land transfer controversy.
The 18-member delegation is meeting Governor N N Vohra, police and Army officials. It's also expected to meet members of smaller political parties of the region, but there's a big question mark on whether it will be able to diffuse the crisis.
Members of the Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti have agreed to talks after PDP President Mehbooba Mufti stated that she was willing to step out of all-party delegation if it helps the cause of peace in the state. Central Water Resources Minister and state Congress party chief, Saifuddin Soz, too has agreed to bow out of the delegation.
The Samiti is also objecting to the presence of National Conference's Farooq Abdullah in the delegation. Efforts are on to persuade him to step down from the delegation, but
CNN-IBN has learnt that he is not proving very co-operative.
Meanwhile, Congress leader, Mangat Ram Sharma has said, "The delegation is listening to all the regional parties. They will then convey the parties' concerns to the Prime Minister."
He also added that the Centre would like all parties to participate in talks. "A decision should be taken keeping in mind the integrity of the nation and communal harmony should be maintained," he stated.
Protests meanwhile continue in Jammu, but the security forces are on alert to prevent violence. As a preventive measure, a batch of RSS workers was stopped at Lakhanpur in Kathua district on Saturday morning as they marched towards Jammu.
The Army, meanwhile, has briefed the Home Minister about the law and order situation. Patil has been told that six people have lost their lives in Jammu alone, and that the ongoing agitation has communal and regional overtones.
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