On Thursday, 15 diplomats from foreign nations had travelled to Srinagar to interact with the public and access the ground situation in the newly formed Union Territory. As per reports, the local leaders told the visiting envoys that Kashmiris won’t give an inch of their soil to Pakistan.
As per reports, the diplomats interacted with Panchayat members, elected leaders from local bodies and representatives from different NGOs. Chinar Corps Commander Lieutenant General KJS Dhillon had also apprised the envoys of the current security situation in the region.
Local Kashmiris interacting with foreign envoys & diplomats with a smile in Srinagar, Kashmir today. Does this look like a siege, clampdown with restrictions or a forced crackdown against locals as propagated by NYT, WaPo, BBC, TRT & AlJazeera? They all spoke against Pak terror. pic.twitter.com/OmphROiYmN
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) January 9, 2020
As per reports, the local leaders and civil society members have told the foreign delegates that the Kashmiri people totally reject the lies and misinformation of Pakistan over ‘bloodbath’ in Kashmir. They also lauded the government’s efforts in handling the post-August 5 situation.
The local leaders also acknowledged that while the restrictions did cause some difficulties, they were needed to maintain law and order. They also blamed Pakistan for killings and violence in the valley. The envoys were also requested to convey to Pakistan that it should not try to interfere in Jammu and Kashmir.
The local body representatives and civil society members also asserted that Kashmiris will not give even an inch of their land to Pakistan.
The foreign envoys were from the US, Vietnam, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Niger, Nigeria, Morroco, Guyana, Argentina, the Philippines, Norway, the Maldives, Fiji, Togo, Bangladesh and Peru.
This was the second such visit by foreign representatives to Kashmir. Earlier, members of the EU parliament had visited the valley and had interacted with local leaders and civil society groups to access the situation.
In the meanwhile, furious over the development, Mehbooba Mufti’s PDP has expelled 8 of its party members for meeting with the LG and the foreign envoys.
