Not here to interfere in Indian politics, EU delegation says in J&K

Mangalore Today News Network

Sri Nagar, Oct 30 2019: The unofficial delegation of 23 European Union MPs, who visited Jammu and Kashmir, Wednesday said that they are not here to interfere in Indian politics. The delegation also highlighted terrorism as the major factor for instability in Kashmir which is accounting for the lives of innocent people in the Valley.

In a press briefing, the delegation said that they had nothing to do with the Indian politics and they visited the state to meet the common people. “We have no interest in Indian politics. We just wanted to meet the common people. Coming to Kashmir was a pleasant experience. Work is progressing in the right direction here. People of Kashmir want peace and development. They want schools and hospitals.”

The delegation also regretted the killing of five workers by terrorists in Kulgam on Tuesday, saying that all problems of Kashmir are linked to terrorism. “Terrorism is a major factor. Innocents are being targetted,” an EU MP said.

The MPs said that they do not want Kashmir to become another Afghanistan. “Terrorism in Kashmir is not only the matter of India but also for the international community. We do not want Kashmir to become another Afghanistan,” he said.

“First all this visit in my view is of very very high importance. In Kashmir terrorism is severe and this is a global question. Police and army have apprised how terrorists have been sent from Pakistan,” another MP said.

The delegation expressed hope that the change in status will improve the situation of the state. “We had a short visit, but we were concerned about the future of Kashmir. The state has all the elements to become a dynamic region of India. Kashmir was backwards before (abrogation of Article 370). There is now hope that the change in status will help reverse the situation,” an MP said.

The MPs were part of the first foreign delegation visiting the Jammu and Kashmir after since the revocation of J&K’s special status by the Centre. On Tuesday, they were given a guarded tour of the Valley even as a shutdown was being observed by local residents amid clashes with security forces. The delegation was also handed over a document titled ‘Briefing notes and background on Kashmir’ by the government, providing them with a condensed account of events that unfolded in the Valley over the past three months.

The delegation was also briefed by state government officials for two hours over a dinner meeting, which was attended by state Chief Secretary B V R Subrahmanyan and DGP Dilbag Singh.

Meanwhile, the Opposition had called it a “conducted tour” and lamented that the Indian MPs were not allowed to visit the Valley. Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad Tuesday said he does not have any objection to the European Union leaders’ delegation visiting Jammu and Kashmir. “What I object to, is that the MPs of this country are not being allowed to go to Jammu and Kashmir.”

Courtesy:indianexpress.com