All party meet on Amarnath issue begins in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Tuesday chaired another round of meeting with leaders of all- party delegation on the Amarnath issue, a day after the situation worsened in Kashmir valley where a Hurriyat leader was killed in police firing.

The meeting was attended by NC leader Farooq Abdullah, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and SP leader Amar Singh among others.

The meeting held on Monday failed to arrive at a consensus to resolve the vexed issue. Tuesday's meeting is being held in the run-up to Wednesday's all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Prominent Hurriyat leader Sheikh Abdul Aziz (60) and three others were killed and hundreds of people injured in yesterday's police firing in Kashmir after a protest march by fruit growers and separatists in an attempt to march towards Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) capital Muzaffarabad against the "economic blockade" turned violent.

The delegation had a two-day visit to the state where it held talks with Shri Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti (SASS), spearheading the over month-long agitation in Jammu, besides holding parleys with leaders from Kashmir valley.

Summing up the visit, Patil said he was hopeful of a peaceful solution to the problem.

PDP has also been invited to the all-party meeting today. However, PDP had on Monday said that it would join the protest march towards Muzaffarabad.