Srinagar/New Delhi: A second batch of 25 foreign envoys arrived here on Wednesday as part of a union government-facilitated trip to help them have a first-hand assessment of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, a region which faced months of harsh restrictions after its special status was stripped of in August.
The envoys arrived at the Srinagar airport around 11 am but could not go ahead with their scheduled visit to Baramulla in north Kashmir due to inclement weather, officials said.
The foreign dignitaries instead went for a Shikara (boat) ride in the famous Dal Lake.
The government had taken a group of 15 envoys to Jammu and Kashmir last month with an aim to make them see the efforts to bring back normalcy in Kashmir Valley. A number of opposition parties called it a "guided tour".
In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the group would meet representatives of the civil society, including youths, political leaders, local businessmen during their visit to the union territory.
After announcing the reorganization of Jammu and Kashmir and withdrawal of its special powers, India imposed severe curbs including on movement of people as well as on mobile telephone and internet connectivity. The crackdown drew international criticism with several countries expressing concerns over the situation in Kashmir.
"As a part of the outreach efforts, visit of the second group of foreign heads of the mission is being organised to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on February 12-13," the MEA said.
It said the group is visiting Baramulla, Srinagar and Jammu and would meet representatives of the civil society, including youth from different ethnic, religious and socio-economic communities, local businessmen and political leaders.
"They will also be briefed about the development programmes being implemented, get the assessment of the security situation, and witness for themselves the progressive normalisation of the situation," the MEA said.
The group comprises envoys from Afghanistan, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, the European Union, France, Germany, Republic of Guinea, Hungary, Italy and Kenya.
Envoys from Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Namibia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Rwanda, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Uganda and Uzbekistan are also part of it.
Reacting to the visit of the envoys, Iltija Mufti, daughter of incarcerated PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, said she hoped that the group will question the authorities about the ban on internet and detention of political leaders under the Public Safety Act.
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Hope you & @EU_in_India question GOI about
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) February 12, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
•Internet ban since 5th August & economic losses suffered
•GOI muzzling local media in Kashmir
•release of detainees inc 3 ex CMs slapped with draconian PSA
•troop deployment to create fear amongst people
Normalcy’s an illusion https://t.co/Jn7lPCdFtj
">Hope you & @EU_in_India question GOI about
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) February 12, 2020
•Internet ban since 5th August & economic losses suffered
•GOI muzzling local media in Kashmir
•release of detainees inc 3 ex CMs slapped with draconian PSA
•troop deployment to create fear amongst people
Normalcy’s an illusion https://t.co/Jn7lPCdFtjHope you & @EU_in_India question GOI about
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) February 12, 2020
•Internet ban since 5th August & economic losses suffered
•GOI muzzling local media in Kashmir
•release of detainees inc 3 ex CMs slapped with draconian PSA
•troop deployment to create fear amongst people
Normalcy’s an illusion https://t.co/Jn7lPCdFtj
In a tweet, she hoped that the envoys will question the central government about "ban" on internet connectivity since August 5 when the announcement on the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir was made.
She also accused the government of muzzling local media in Kashmir and mentioned about slapping of draconian PSA on her mother, Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah.
Iltija said the huge deployment of security personnel has created fear among people and that normalcy in Kashmir has been an illusion.
A visiting envoy told reporters that he was in Kashmir "as a tourist".
"Upon our arrival, we enjoyed a #Shikara ride on Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir. Beautiful lake and hospitable people. I bought a beautiful Kashmiri ring from a boat serving as a shop. @MEAIndia," Afghanistan's envoy to India Tahir Qadiry tweeted.
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Upon our arrival, we enjoyed a #Shikara ride on Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir. Beautiful lake and hospitable people. I bought a beautiful Kashmiri ring from a boat 🚣♀️ serving as a shop. @MEAIndia pic.twitter.com/NH5BljrNXQ
— Tahir Qadiry طاهر قادرى (@tahirqadiry) February 12, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">Upon our arrival, we enjoyed a #Shikara ride on Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir. Beautiful lake and hospitable people. I bought a beautiful Kashmiri ring from a boat 🚣♀️ serving as a shop. @MEAIndia pic.twitter.com/NH5BljrNXQ
— Tahir Qadiry طاهر قادرى (@tahirqadiry) February 12, 2020Upon our arrival, we enjoyed a #Shikara ride on Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir. Beautiful lake and hospitable people. I bought a beautiful Kashmiri ring from a boat 🚣♀️ serving as a shop. @MEAIndia pic.twitter.com/NH5BljrNXQ
— Tahir Qadiry طاهر قادرى (@tahirqadiry) February 12, 2020
He also praised the Kashmiris for their hospitality.
"We Afghans claim that we are Mehman-Navaz (Hospitable), but the Kashmiris are definitely so too. Interacted with a bunch of young people here. This girl is a gold-medalist in basketball with very high hopes. Wishing this beautiful valley & its people lots of good wishes!" he said in another tweet.
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We Afghans claim that we are Mehman-Navaz (Hospitable), but the Kashmiris are definitely so too. Interacted with a bunch of young people here. This girl is a gold-medalist in basketball with very high hopes. Wishing this beautiful valley & it’s people lots of good wishes! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/6Q4zFnD7Q7
— Tahir Qadiry طاهر قادرى (@tahirqadiry) February 12, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">We Afghans claim that we are Mehman-Navaz (Hospitable), but the Kashmiris are definitely so too. Interacted with a bunch of young people here. This girl is a gold-medalist in basketball with very high hopes. Wishing this beautiful valley & it’s people lots of good wishes! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/6Q4zFnD7Q7
— Tahir Qadiry طاهر قادرى (@tahirqadiry) February 12, 2020We Afghans claim that we are Mehman-Navaz (Hospitable), but the Kashmiris are definitely so too. Interacted with a bunch of young people here. This girl is a gold-medalist in basketball with very high hopes. Wishing this beautiful valley & it’s people lots of good wishes! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/6Q4zFnD7Q7
— Tahir Qadiry طاهر قادرى (@tahirqadiry) February 12, 2020
On their meeting with journalists, Qadiry said, "In our interaction with the Kashmiri media outlets, the media people seriously urged the govt to restore the internet broadband as it is causing them so much problems to report and broadcast."
The first group to visit Kashmir comprised envoys from the US, South Korea, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Fiji, Maldives, Norway, Philippines, Morocco, Argentina, Peru, Niger, Nigeria, Guyana and Togo.
RESOLUTION ON KASHMIR?
The Narendra Modi-led government had originally planned to organise a visit for the EU diplomats in June. However, the visit could now be moved ahead in the wake of the European Parliament’s debate last week over a joint draft resolution on Kashmir and the CAA.
After the debate on January 29, the European Parliament decided to defer the vote on the resolution even as India called it a “diplomatic victory”. The voting is likely to take place in the next plenary sitting of the European Parliament that could be held in ending March this year.
'ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS SHOULD BE RELEASED'
After meeting foreign delegation at a luxurious hotel along the banks of Dal Lake, senior BJP leader Khalid Jehangir said that he raised the issue of political prisoners with the visiting delegation.
"Kashmiris are peace-loving people and the majority of them are happy with the decision of changing J&K into Union Territory and they won't want the people who ruined this place at the helm of affairs again, " Jehangir told ETV Bharat over the phone.
"I told them that government of India should release political prisoners including Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah. They should be released, tried for corruption and other cases if they are involved in any, " he added.
THREE YOUTH DETAINED BY POLICE
Meanwhile, three youth representing the Kashmir Youth Power were detained by police for protesting near the hotel, where the foreign delegation is staying.
Carrying placards of their NGO, the youth were urging the government to stop wasting money on foreign delegation visits and should instead invest in the welfare of Union Territory.
'TOURISTS AND EVERYTHING IS NORMAL'
Dominican Republic envoy Frank Hans Dannenberg Castellanos, talking to reporters after Shikara ride said that 'the Kashmir is a beautiful place and we are just here as tourists.'
Tahir Qadiry, an envoy from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s envoy claimed that he always wanted to visit Kashmir.
“I saw schools open, people going to schools and shops open… it is that part of the world which I wanted to visit. So, it’s very great,” Qadiry said.
Interestingly, all the schools in Kashmir are closed in view of winter vacation.
However, some local people are of the view that the trip of 25 envoys to Kashmir is a government-sponsored one and the real issues which should have been discussed at the earliest were ignored.
A political analyst from the valley said that if India and Pakistan would have been sincere in their efforts to solve the long-pending issue of Kashmir, there would have been no need for the foreign delegations to visit Kashmir.
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