Ishfaq-ul-Hassan | India Tomorrow
SRINAGAR—Amid spontaneous shutdown in Srinagar parts, a delegation of 24 foreign envoys arrived here to assess the situation in Jammu and Kashmir post-abrogation of Article 370 and conduct of District Development Council (DDC) polls.
Shops and business establishments were closed in Srinagar’s city center of Lal Chowk and neighboring areas. Old city areas also witnessed a shutdown. There was no call for any hartal from any organization.
The delegation comprised the envoys from the EU, France, Malaysia, Brazil, Italy, Finland, Bangladesh, Cuba, Chile, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Senegal, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Ireland, Ghana, Estonia, Bolivia, Malawi, Eritrea, and Ivory Coast.
The envoys were given a traditional welcome by young pheran-clad women who recited ‘wunwun’ (Kashmir folklore) and showered flower petals and confetti on the visiting delegates.
During their two-day visit, the visiting delegation is scheduled to meet the district development council members and civil society representatives. The envoys are also scheduled to visit the Hazratbal shrine on the banks of Dal Lake. The delegation will fly to Jammu on Thursday to meet the local representatives.
This is for the third time when a foreign delegation has been invited to visit Kashmir after the Centre stripped the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019.
In October 2019, over 27 EU Parliamentarians, most of them from far-right groups visited Kashmir for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation. During their visit, they met some delegations, received a briefing from officials, and met top army and security forces officials.
“The delegations keep coming, but the situation is not good at all,” said Mehbooba Mufti, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister.
On the other side, Hurriyat Conference broke its silence saying that a curated tour of foreign dignitaries to showcase “normalcy” in the valley is misleading.
“People’s spontaneous strike, the only means of protest left to them, speaks volumes what people feel and want,” said Hurriyat Conference in a statement.
Hurriyat said efforts are on to change the demographic composition of the state to undermine its disputed nature, after it was downgraded to a union territory and brought under the direct rule of New Delhi.
“All forms of peaceful protest or dissent by the people to this unilateral authoritarian move and its resultant effects are curbed by force,” the Hurriyat said.
