Srinagar/Jammu, September 21
The all-party delegation visiting Jammu and Kashmir today reached out to more separatist leaders like Shabir Ahmed Shah in Jammu, called on the injured in hospitals in Srinagar, where some of them were heckled, and walked through the streets of Tangmarg, where public property worth Rs 90 crore was damaged in mob violence on September 13.

Some of the MPs took time off to visit and offer prayers at Hazratbal shrine besides interact with local residents. The delegation also called on Governor NN Vohra at the Raj Bhavan on Monday evening over dinner.

BJP’s Sushma Swaraj indicated that the meeting with separatist leaders was an “individual decision” of the MPs and that the delegation had not planned to meet them. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said nobody had expected the MPs to reach out. But while this was a good beginning, he warned that a more substantial package from the Centre would be required to defuse the crisis.

The delegation reached Jammu later in the day and met several delegations at the CM’s official residence. The choice of the venue raised eyebrows and some of the visitors wondered why the meeting was not arranged at a more “neutral” venue. The MPs then fanned out and visited migrant camps.

While the Panther’s Party boycotted the meeting at Jammu, BJP leaders called on the delegation in the evening after initially refusing to meet the members. Differences between the National Conference and the Congress over questions of AFSPA and autonomy surfaced during the meeting. While the NC delegation, led by Ajay Sadhotra, pleaded for more autonomy within the framework of the Constitution, the Congress members, led by Pandit Mangat Ram, blamed the CM and his “lack of connection with the masses” for the present crisis.