All-party team in Jammu today

By Our Correspondent

New Delhi

Aug. 8: An 18-member all-party delegation headed by Union home minister Shivraj Patil, including five other union ministers, will visit Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday to assess the ground situation in the wake of continuing agitation in Jammu over the Amarnath shrine land transfer issue.

Mr Patil’s delegation includes Arun Jaitley(BJP), Amar Singh(SP), Sitaram Yechury (CPM), D. Raja(CPI), Mohsina Kidwai (Congress), Farooq Abdullah (NC), Mehbooba Mufti (PDP), K.C. Tyagi (JD-U), Naresh Gujral (SAD), Akhtar Hasan Rizvi (NCP) and R.C. Paswan (LJP).

A TDP member would also be joining the team. The other ministers are Saif-ud-din Soz (Congress), Raghuvansh Prasad Singh (RJD), A. Raja (DMK), Prithviraj Chavan and Sriprakash Jaiswal (both Congress).

It was not clear as to whether the Shri Amarnath Sangarsh Samiti, a group spearheading the agitation, would meet the delegation. The SASS has announced extension of its agitation till August 14.

The delegation is also scheduled to travel to Kashmir.