15 diplomats to embark on two day visit to J&K starting today

New Delhi, Jan 09: Fifteen foreign envoys would embark on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir starting today. The two-day visit was organised following requests from Delhi based envoys.

The envoys will be drawn from different regions and there would be diplomats from the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. As of now, 15 diplomats would visit, but the number could increase, sources familiar with the developments tell OneIndia.

The government wants the envoys to see for themselves the ground reality in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Sources say that the government had reached out to 18 diplomats from European, Gulf, Western countries and OIC members. The Valley has been off-limits for foreign diplomats since August 2019.

It may be recalled that in October 2019, the government had facilitated the Madi Group, an NGO, which escorted 23 members of the European Parliament to Kashmir. They met with locals and got some classified security briefings during their visit.

On August 5, 2019, the government abrogated Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. The Article granted special status to J&K and as a result of its abrogation, common laws of the land now apply to the newly formed Union Territory.