India tries to up the ante by hosting 16 foreign envoys on a guided tour of Kashmir to assess the ground conditions in the region.
India gets another visit from the envoys of 16 delegates to assess the facts on the ground in Jammu & Kashmir today. The delegation will include US ambassador among the Latin and African representatives. It has been five months since India abrogated Article 370 on the grounds that it was ‘inoperative’ and ineffective for the development in Kashmir.
India plans to cushion the blow that Pakistan has been shedding out using the Kashmir propaganda globally, with the two-day visit. India’s diplomatic effort is to showcase the normalcy in Kashmir against the allegations of mobile and internet shutdown, house detentions of Kashmiri leaders in opposition and the absence of political civil and political activity in the region.
The envoys of the European Union, Australia and the Middle East have passed on the proposal of “guided visits” citing “scheduling” issues. According to the media reports, the EU envoys are planning for a meeting with the political leaders of Kashmir to understand the gravity of the ongoing changes which is why they skipped over the “guided touring” arranged by the Centre.
The Centre had faced row over the “arranged tour” it directed to some of the EU delegates in October, following which the government distanced itself from the issue calling it their “private visit”. India had removed the special status provided to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 last summer and bifurcated its statehood into two Union Territories.
