Lots of Debate has emerged in India over the visit of EU delegation to Kashmir. A delegation of 23 European Union MPs arrived in Srinagar on October 29, 2019, for a first-hand assessment of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir following the revocation of Article 370. The Indian government has been stringent and restrictive so far in not allowing a free right of entry to J&K, especially the Valley because of the one major potential for violence.
Lots of controversy and debates have happened over the issues:
1. The person -Madi Sharma and her NGO ‘Women’s Eco-Nomic’ and Social Think-Tank (WESTT) were instrumental in facilitating the EU. Lots of things are said about her and her involvement.
2. One of Indian MP- Owaisi’s had also mentioned that the Indian government had sent such members of the European Parliament to the Valley who believed in Nazi ideology and proudly called themselves fascists.
3. And basis the above 2 points, further talks have also happened as brokers being called, Nazi’s and so on…..
Author’s views:
1. The controversy over the government’s decision to allow a European Union parliamentary delegation to visit Kashmir is probably uncalled for and undesirable.
2. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate their visit as a sign that the situation in the Valley is coming under much better control with lesser violence which is sufficient enough to give the managing authorities the confidence that they can take the risk of allowing such a visit.
3. If we look at the history, Pakistan has always exploited such visits to stage a terrorist attack to draw the attention of the international community to the underlying resistance in the Valley to Indian rule.
4. The government has been stringent so far in not allowing free access to J&K, especially the Valley, because of the potential for violence.
5. The anti-Indian liberal-oriented lobbies abroad, especially in the US and the UK, who harbour strong prejudices against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and abhor the RSS, have been receptive to this propaganda.
What’s the best thing to do?
1. As a nation, and that includes the opposition, we should welcome the initial success of the government in controlling the situation in Kashmir, which has been a national problem, linked deeply to national security and sovereignty.
2. All such steps must be welcomed, which brings more stability to Kashmir.
3. The EU delegation is not an official one; the government has not officially invited it. The visit has been engineered diplomatically so that the government’s purpose is served by exposing the EU parliamentarians to the ground situation in the Valley.
4. It was right to give precedence to this delegation over a US congressional delegation whose visit would play the Pakistani game of promoting US intervention in J&K.
5. A 27-member EU delegation seized of the actual situation would be of help in framing discussions in the EU parliament realistically.
Kashmir status changing today
Jammu and Kashmir stands bifurcated from tonight being October 31-2019. India from 1st nov-2019 has one less state (J&K) and shall have now two new Union Territories. Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will get their respective Lieutenant Governors in the morning of November 01, 2019.
