Curfew continues in Kishtwar

Authorities say the situation is fast returning to normal

Curfew continued for the 11th day Monday in Kishtwar town of Jammu and Kashmir although the authorities said the situation was fast returning to normal.

A district administration official told the news agency that curfew continued for the 11th day in Kishtwar, but was relaxed in a phased manner in the town for two hours.

A team of ministers headed by Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand has appealed to the communities to restore the traditional harmony and brotherhood for which Kishtwar has been known in the past.

The other members of the team are Rural Development Minister Ali Muhammad Sagar, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Minister Chowdhary Muhammad Ramzan and Irrigation and Flood Control Minister Sham Lal Sharma.

The ministerial team separately met delegations of the minority and the majority communities during their two-day stay there.

An all-party delegation is reaching the town Monday to appeal for restoration of normalcy and listen to the grievances of the two communities.

Authorities are mulling a curfew relaxation in the town during the visit of the all-party delegation so that people can freely interact with the team.

The delegation includes state Minister of Tourism and Congress leader G.A. Mir, state Minister for Planning and National Conference (NC) leader Ajay Sadotra, Congress legislator Ravindra Sharma, NC leader Surjit Singh Salathia, NC legislator Devender Singh Rana, former Congress MP Janak Raj Gupta, BJP legislator Ashok Khajuria, BJP leader Nirmal Singh, opposition Peoples Democratic Party leader Vaid Mahajan, Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party leader Balwant Singh Mankotia and Samajwadi Party leader Sheikh Abdul Rehman.