LG, top brass of Admn brief delegation in Jammu
Will meet KPs in Jagti migrant camp today
Sanjeev Pargal/Fayaz Bukhari
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, Jan 9: Fifteen foreign Envoys including United States Ambassador to India Kenneth I Juster were briefed on prevailing situation in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir especially the Valley by Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu and top brass of the administration in a meeting in Jammu this evening where they reached after day-long tour of Srinagar, where they met number of delegations.
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Unlike the Members of European Parliament who had only visited Kashmir, the delegation of 15 foreign Envoys will meet Kashmiri Pandit migrants at Jagti camp in Nagrota on outskirts of the Jammu City tomorrow afternoon to inter-act and have their view point on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Envoys will also meet delegations in Jammu tomorrow and return to New Delhi late in the afternoon, as per the itinerary of their visit.
Besides United States, the Envoys from South Korea, Morocco, Nigeria, Guyana, Argentina, Norway, Philippines, Maldives, Togo, Fiji, Peru, Bangladesh and Vietnam were part of the delegation who were invited by the Ministry of External Affairs.
Sources said the foreign Envoys met the Lieutenant Governor and top officers of civil and police administration in Jammu tonight over dinnersoon after their arrival from Kashmir, where they had reached this morning and had hectic tour meeting delegations comprising political leaders, media persons, youth activists, Civil Society members and others.
The Lieutenant Governor is reported to have given detailed briefing on all aspects of security situation in Jammu and Kashmir including the Valley post August 5 when the Central Government had abrogated special Constitutional provisions of the erstwhile State of J&K and bifurcated it into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
While mobile and landline telephones and broadband services remained functional in Jammu post August 5, they have been gradually restored in the Valley. However, mobile internet services remained snapped in entire Jammu and Kashmir since then.
Besides Murmu, the dinner meeting with foreign Envoys was also attended by LG’s three Advisors-KK Sharma, Farooq Khan and Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar and top officials of civil and police administration including Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam, Principal Secretary Home Shaleen Kabra and Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh.
Some other Administrative Secretaries were also present at the dinner meeting with the foreign delegation at a hotel in Narwal.
The delegation reached Srinagar this morning and was taken to Badami Bagh Cantonment for briefing by the senior Army Commanders on the situation in Kashmir and along the border with Pakistan.
Sources said main focus of the Army briefing was how Pakistan is trying to disrupt peace in Jammu and Kashmir by sending militants. They were given proof of involvement of Pakistan in pushing in militants into Jammu and Kashmir, training and funding them.
The briefing was followed by the luncheon meeting with a group of former legislators headed by former Minister Altaf Bukhari and included Ghulam Hassan Mir of Democratic Party Nationalist (DPN), Rafi Mir, Abdul Rahim Rather, Abdul Majeed Padder, Hilal Shah, Javed Beg and Shoaib Lone.
Former Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir told Excelsior that they discussed post August 5 situation with the delegation. “We told them that neither people wanted abrogation of Article 370 nor they expected it”, he said.
Mir added the Government of India said that they did it as it (Article 370) was a roadblock for development and now they have to prove it, how it was a road block.
“We told them that people are demoralized and they have apprehensions about job and land rights. Government of India has to remove these apprehensions from the minds of people”, he said.
“We also raised the issue of political detainees including three former former Chief Ministers. If there were apprehensions of law and order that time what is the problem now. We said that they should be released. Voice of descent is essence of democracy and it should be allowed”, Mir said.
This was followed by meeting with delegation of media persons including Saleem Pandit (Times of India correspondent), Fayaz Ahmad Kaloo (Editor Greater Kashmir), Javed Ahmad Malik (Greater Kashmir) Bashir Manzar (Editor Kashmir Images), Ayaz Hafiz (Editor Rising Kashmir), Farooq Ahmad Wani (Editor Brighter Kashmir), Rasheed Rahil (Editor Asian Mail) and TV commentator Majid Hyderi.
The media delegation highlighted the problems faced by the journalists in Kashmir in absence of internet. “We told them that there is no gag on media but internet gag has affected working of journalists. It should have been restored”, said Saleem Pandit.
“We told the visiting delegation that people’s sentiments were deeply hurt with the revocation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir. They were emotionality attached to it”, he added.
Pandit said they also apprised the delegation that there is need to restore the confidence of people of Kashmir.
“It can be restored by giving job rights and land rights to locals”, Pandit said.
This was followed by two more meetings by some of the Civil Society groups and youth activists who also briefed the delegation about the situation in Kashmir.
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