Srinagar, Aug 10 : An 18-member all-party delegation headed by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil met here today to assess the situation in the wake of the continuing agitation in Jammu over the Amarnath land transfer controversy.

The meeting was attended by Arun Jaitley (BJP), Amar Singh (Samajwadi Party), former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Ghulam Nabi Azad, PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti and Saif-ud-din Soz and Mohsina Kidwai (both Congress), besides the local Kashmiri leaders.

Jammu, August 9 : An all party delegation led by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Saturday held a meeting with the Shri Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti in Jammu this afternoon.

After the meeting, the Convenor of the Samiti Leela Karan Sharma told reporters that they have put up their demands for the restoration of forest land to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) and the recall of Governor N. N. Vohra.

Earlier, the delegation met the Governor and was also briefed about the situation arising out of Shri Amarnath Land transfer issue.

Doda (Jammu and Kashmir), August 9 : A major tragedy was averted in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday after security forces diffused two Improvised Explosive Devices.

Acting on a tip off, troops of Eight Rashtriya Rifles and Doda police cordoned off Doda Bharat road and detected explosives with the help of sniffer dogs and metal detectors.

“A big damage was possible if any security vehicle had passed the device,” said Mohan Lal, Superintendent of Police, operations.

Jammu, Aug 9 : Shri Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti (SASS), the group spearheading the agitation over the Amarnath land transfer row, has decided not to hold talks with the all party team arriving in Jammu on Saturday to defuse the crisis.

Srinagar, Aug 8 : Curfew was imposed across Poonch District following clashes between Hindus and Muslims on Friday.

Both communities held demonstrations over the Shri Amaranth Shrine Board (SASB) land allotment issue.

Stone throwing mobs targeted places of worship of both communities.

Poonch is among the seven major towns in Jammu region where the agitation is on for the last five weeks.

Curfew has been imposed in the towns of Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri, Bhaderwah and Poonch.

Jammu, Aug 8 : After reviewing the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Rising Star Corps Lieutenant General Vinay Sharma today issued a warning against violent protests in the state over the Amarnath land row.

Meanwhile, curfew has been imposed in Poonch, and the army staged a flag march here as a precautionary measure.

According to sources, curfew has been imposed in Poonch town following some incidents of violence and stone pelting there on Thursday. It is a precautionary measure to prevent any untoward incident.