Shahzaz ud din
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EU delegation in Kashmir, a PR stunt for the Modi govt?
EU delegation in Kashmir, a PR stunt for the Modi govt?
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Shahzaz ud din
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EU legislators visit Kashmir amid ongoing clashes (AlJazeera)
EU legislators visit Kashmir amid ongoing clashes
Police fire tear gas and shotgun pellets at protesters as members of European Parliament visit the region.
www.aljazeera.com
Clashes erupted in Indian-administered Kashmir on Tuesday, as a delegation of mostly far-right members of the European Parliament paid a contentious visit to the restive region stripped of its autonomy in August.
The European Parliament members are the first foreign delegation to visit Kashmir since New Delhi revoked the region's autonomy in August.
With a curfew in many parts of the main city, Srinagar, police fired tear gas and shotgun pellets as about 40 clashes flared across the Kashmir Valley, officials said.
Late Monday a truck driver was shot dead, the sixth such killing targeting the vital apple sector, while a grenade injured 20 people elsewhere, authorities said.
The delegation of approximately 30 European MPs, including far-right deputies from Poland, France, Germany and Britain, met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, prompted accusations that it aimed to blunt criticism of New Delhi over Kashmir.
One member from Britain's centrist Liberal Democrats, Chris Davies, said the Indian government withdrew his invitation after he insisted on being able to talk to locals without a police escort.
"I am not prepared to take part in a PR stunt for the Modi government and pretend that all is well," Davies said in a statement.
The delegation included members of the nationalist, anti-immigration and eurosceptic Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, France's National Rally, the Brexit Party and Poland's Law and Justice.
The Indian government said that the aim was to give the deputies "a better understanding of the cultural and religious diversity" of the region.
The move to give rare access to European Parliament members has been criticised by opposition parties.
Rahul Gandhi of the Congress Party tweeted late Monday: "MPs from Europe are welcome to go on a guided tour of Jammu & #Kashmir while Indian MPs are banned & denied entry. There is something very wrong with that."
UN 'extremely concerned'
Kashmir has been split between India and Pakistan since 1947, and on August 5 New Delhi revoked the special status of the part of the region that it administers.
Since then New Delhi has barred scores of its own politicians and a US senator from visiting the Himalayan region. Visits by foreign journalists are also off limits.
Sending in tens of thousands of extra troops, hundreds of local politicians, lawyers and others were rounded up, most of whom still remain in detention.
Access to postpaid mobile phones was only restored on October 14 and the internet remains cut for the Muslim-majority area's more than seven million people.
The UN High Commission for Human Rights said Tuesday that it was "extremely concerned" at the situation.
"We urge the Indian authorities to unlock the situation and fully restore the rights that are currently being denied," it said.
Amid allegations of torture and unconfirmed reports of at least six dead civilians, it said major political decisions about the region had been taken without the "participation of the affected population".
However, the UN also said it had received reports of armed groups threatening residents.
India accuses Pakistan of backing fighters who have been waging a decades-old armed struggle against Indian rule that has killed tens of thousands, mostly civilians.
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EU legislators visit Kashmir amid ongoing clashes
Police fire tear gas and shotgun pellets at protesters as members of European Parliament visit the region.
Clashes erupted in Indian-administered Kashmir on Tuesday, as a delegation of mostly far-right members of the European Parliament paid a contentious visit to the restive region stripped of its autonomy in August.
The European Parliament members are the first foreign delegation to visit Kashmir since New Delhi revoked the region's autonomy in August.
With a curfew in many parts of the main city, Srinagar, police fired tear gas and shotgun pellets as about 40 clashes flared across the Kashmir Valley, officials said.
Late Monday a truck driver was shot dead, the sixth such killing targeting the vital apple sector, while a grenade injured 20 people elsewhere, authorities said.
The delegation of approximately 30 European MPs, including far-right deputies from Poland, France, Germany and Britain, met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, prompted accusations that it aimed to blunt criticism of New Delhi over Kashmir.
One member from Britain's centrist Liberal Democrats, Chris Davies, said the Indian government withdrew his invitation after he insisted on being able to talk to locals without a police escort.
"I am not prepared to take part in a PR stunt for the Modi government and pretend that all is well," Davies said in a statement.
The delegation included members of the nationalist, anti-immigration and eurosceptic Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, France's National Rally, the Brexit Party and Poland's Law and Justice.
The Indian government said that the aim was to give the deputies "a better understanding of the cultural and religious diversity" of the region.
The move to give rare access to European Parliament members has been criticised by opposition parties.
Rahul Gandhi of the Congress Party tweeted late Monday: "MPs from Europe are welcome to go on a guided tour of Jammu & #Kashmir while Indian MPs are banned & denied entry. There is something very wrong with that."
UN 'extremely concerned'
Kashmir has been split between India and Pakistan since 1947, and on August 5 New Delhi revoked the special status of the part of the region that it administers.
Since then New Delhi has barred scores of its own politicians and a US senator from visiting the Himalayan region. Visits by foreign journalists are also off limits.
Sending in tens of thousands of extra troops, hundreds of local politicians, lawyers and others were rounded up, most of whom still remain in detention.
Access to postpaid mobile phones was only restored on October 14 and the internet remains cut for the Muslim-majority area's more than seven million people.
The UN High Commission for Human Rights said Tuesday that it was "extremely concerned" at the situation.
"We urge the Indian authorities to unlock the situation and fully restore the rights that are currently being denied," it said.
Amid allegations of torture and unconfirmed reports of at least six dead civilians, it said major political decisions about the region had been taken without the "participation of the affected population".
However, the UN also said it had received reports of armed groups threatening residents.
India accuses Pakistan of backing fighters who have been waging a decades-old armed struggle against Indian rule that has killed tens of thousands, mostly civilians.
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Shahzaz ud din
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