To get a reality check, Centre invites diplomats to J&K

New Delhi, Jan 08: A group of foreign envoys posted in India have been invited to travel to Jammu and Kashmir on January 9 and 10. The government wants the envoys to see for themselves the ground reality in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Government sources tell OneIndia that they have 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.

Some of the diplomats have however sought to know as to how independent they would be during the visit. 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.