Shivraj Patil

New Delhi, Aug. 12: The all-party meeting on the Amarnath row reached an agreement on the second day to get organisations based in Jammu and in Kashmir on board to restore normality.

Plans are afoot to invite the Shri Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti in Jammu and various organisations from the Valley and bind them into a single committee that will work towards peace.

With Jammu and Kashmir polarised by the Amarnath land row, political parties saw the urgency and tried to put the salve on both provinces. Some members, though, did accuse the BJP and the People’s Democratic Party of using the situation for political gain.

Home minister Shivraj Patil said roads between India and Pakistan were open and that the Muzaffarabad road could be opened, too, if fruit-growers benefit from it. India has already proposed opening the route but Pakistan is yet to respond, he said.

The “Muzaffarabad chalo” slogan has triggered widespread violence in the Valley.

There was balm for Jammu, too.

“The Amarnath yatra this year is concluding. We intend to have even better facilities for the yatris next year,” Patil said.

The all-party delegation led by the home minister that visited Jammu and Srinagar on August 9-10 has had two rounds of discussions since yesterday.

It was felt groups from both provinces should work for restoring peace. “To this end, they should desist from adopting the path of agitation. The government will take steps to engage all groups concerned from Jammu as well as the Kashmir valley in talks so that the issues can be resolved amicably to the satisfaction of all concerned,” a home ministry statement said.

Home secretary Madhukar Gupta later said there was no blockade on the highway linking Srinagar with Jammu and other parts of the country.

“There is no obstacle in the way of movement of fruits and other items. Therefore, there is no reason for agitation.”

The government has been taking steps to facilitate cross-LoC trade, it was revealed. Senior government officers have visited the state to inspect the infrastructure but a decision can be taken only after an agreement with Pakistan, home ministry officials said. A unilateral move would “neither be practical nor wise”, an official said.