A group of European Union lawmakers will visit Kashmir on Tuesday, the first foreign delegation since the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was revoked in August.
News Agency Reuters quoted Indian officials confirming the upcoming visit by EU lawmakers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government withdrew Jammu and Kashmir’s autonomy in August. The move was accompanied by a crackdown on dissent by security forces there, to head off protests.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi poses for a picture with a delegation of members of the European Parliament after their meeting in New Delhi, India, on October 28, 2019. REUTERS PHOTO
The government has since maintained that the situation is returning to normality whereas actual voices from the valley remain out of the Indian mainstream.
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According to Reuters, hundreds of people have been freed from detention and phone lines were restored, although the internet remains suspended for fear it could be used to organise street demonstrations that have turned violent in the past in the region.
The EU delegation of 27 lawmakers drawn from 11 countries will meet with government officials and residents to assess the situation in Kashmir, Reuters confirmed.
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The Europeans will be the first foreign group visiting Kashmir since August. This month, U.S. members of Congress expressed concern over a lack of access for diplomats and foreign media.
An official said the EU group’s visit would open the door to visits by others. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, one of the scores of leaders detained since August, said on Twitter she hoped the lawmakers would be allowed free access.
“Hope they get a chance to speak to the people, local media, doctors and civil society members. The iron curtain between Kashmir & the world needs to be lifted,” she wrote on Twitter.
With Reuters Inputs
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