advertisement
The 25-member delegation of foreign envoys which visited Jammu and Kashmir met National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Friday, 14 February.
During the meeting, they discussed the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
On Thursday, 13 February, the envoys met Chinar Corps Commander Lt General KJS Dhillon and they were briefed about the security situation in the region by Army, where they held meetings with Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory, district administration officials and civil society members of Jammu division.
Meanwhile, three young men were detained in Srinagar on Wednesday, 12 February, after they staged a protest against the visit of foreign envoys to Jammu and Kashmir, police said. They termed the visit “a waste of money”, as visuals emerged showing the envoys enjoying a Shikara ride in the Dal Lake.
The foreign diplomats arrived in Srinagar on Wednesday, 12 February, for a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir.
The envoys are from the European Union, South America and the Gulf countries, officials said.
On Wednesday, 13 February, the group met representatives of the civil society, which included youth from various ethnicity, religion and socio-economic communities.
This comes six months after the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution on 5 August.
According to MEA sources, out of the 36 Ministers who visited J&K, more than 30 submitted a report to the Home Ministry, and the Home Ministry sent the report to PMO. In this report, ministers gave feedback and suggestions for speedy development of J&K after the abrogation of Article 370.
Meanwhile, Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter Iltija Mufti tweeted that the foreign diplomats who are visiting Kashmir, should question the Government of India on the internet ban, muzzling of local media and detention of 3 Kashmiri leaders under Public Safety Act (PSA). Iltija Mufti has been using her mother’s Twitter handle.
The visit came ahead of a possible voting by the European Union (EU) Parliament on a debate held last month on Kashmir and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
The fresh batch of diplomats also includes EU representatives from Poland, Bulgaria and Czech Republic.
Earlier, a delegation of 15 EU MPs including US Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster and diplomats from Vietnam, South Korea, Brazil, Niger, Nigeria, Morocco, Guyana, Argentina, Philippines, Norway, Maldives, Fiji, Togo, Bangladesh and Peru visited Kashmir on 9 and 10 January to assess the ground situation.
The International Institute for Non-Aligned Studies, a Delhi-based think tank, which had organised the visit had faced criticism for choosing right-leaning delegates for the visit. Meanwhile the government stated that the European parliamentarians were on a "private visit".
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)