New Delhi: The government has ushered in the New Year with diplomatic confidence-building measures by facilitating the visit of 15 New Delhi-based foreign envoys to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson, Raveesh Kumar said that the two day visit (January 9 and 10) of a perfectly sized manageable group is aimed at enabling the envoys “
see the efforts being made by the government to bring the situation to normal and see first hand the impact of the series of steps taken by the local administration to normalise the situation in recent weeks.”
He said that the visit was organised following requests from some Delhi-based envoys to visit J&K.
The envoys in the group represent the United States, South Korea, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Fiji, Maldives, Norway, Philippines, Morocco, Argentina, Peru, Niger, Nigeria, Guyana and Togo.
Asked why some countries are not included in this visit, the MEA Spokesperson replied, “There are a number of countries that are not here now.
Look, this is not the end of the visit. There was a constraint of numbers. It took place at a short notice. Many ambassadors may not have had the permission from headquarters or there could be scheduling issues. The number that we had was just the right number.”
The Congress demanded resumption of meaningful political activities in Jammu and Kashmir locked down for the past five years as well as free movement of Indian leaders instead of the latest farce of 16 Delhi-based envoys taken there on a "guided tour."
Meanwhile, PDP and NC said the visit of envoys of various countries to J&K was an attempt by the government to "normalise its clampdown" in the Valley.
