Pressure mounted on Thursday on Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad with his ally PDP threatening to pull out of the government if the land transfer to Amarnath Shrine Board was not revoked by June 30 and opposition National Conference refusing to attend the all-party meet on the snowballing issue.
Within a day of assuming charge, Governor NN Vohra, who is the Shrine Board head, was confronted with the emotive issue as he had a series of meetings with Azad, Deputy Chief Minister and PDP leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig and NC leader Omar Abdullah.
Emerging from the meeting with the governor, Hussain told reporters that "if the order is not revoked by June 30, PDP will pull out from the government".
He, however, said the governor has started consultations with the chief minister and other parties to defuse the situation arising out of the transfer of the land to the Amarnath Shrine Board.
Baig said he suggested to Vohra that government should withdraw the order for transfer of land and facilities be continued to be provided to pilgrims as was done before the formation of the board in 2000.
Baig said the board should surrender its claim on the land. "The board has wrongly stated that the land has been transferred to it permanently whereas the land has been given to it for yatra period."
{{/usCountry}}Baig said the board should surrender its claim on the land. "The board has wrongly stated that the land has been transferred to it permanently whereas the land has been given to it for yatra period."
{{/usCountry}}Heading an NC delegation, Abdullah also met Vohra and sought surrender of the forest land allotted to the shrine board. Abdullah said "the governor has agreed to consider our demand."
The NC president said his party will not participate in the all-party meeting convened by Azad on the issue.