Now Reading: Mehbooba Mufti says foreign dignitary visits to J&K curated since 2019
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Mehbooba Mufti says foreign dignitary visits to J&K curated since 2019
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has said that visits by foreign dignitaries to Jammu and Kashmir have become 'curated' since 2019, denying them a chance to hear from different sections of society. Her…
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has said that visits by foreign dignitaries to Jammu and Kashmir have become 'curated' since 2019, denying them a chance to hear from different sections of society. Her remarks came a day after US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor visited Srinagar, met Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and described J&K as 'an important part of India'.
Mufti said that before 2019, ambassadors would meet representatives from tourism, trade, travel and other sections. Now, she said, they meet the chief minister and the governor, take a shikara ride and leave. She agreed that J&K's problems cannot be resolved by Washington, but criticised the chief minister for not raising the people's concerns, including US military action in Iran and alleged harassment during security operations in Pulwama.
Mufti urged Abdullah to persuade New Delhi to address issues such as people in jails, job removals and property attachments. On Gor's indication that the US would review its travel advisory and consider greater economic engagement, she said the move could benefit J&K if it focused on employment-generating sectors like horticulture and handicrafts. She dismissed the ambassador's description of J&K as an important part of India, saying the US is not in a position to certify India's position on the region.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Mufti's critique highlights the narrowing of political space in J&K since August 2019, when Article 370 was abrogated. Before that, foreign diplomats routinely met separatist leaders, traders, and civil society, providing them a broader picture of the region's complexities. The shift to 'curated' visits means the Centre now tightly controls who foreign dignitaries meet, ensuring no alternative narrative reaches international audiences. For residents, the practical consequence is that global attention stays on security and investment, not on local grievances like detentions or job losses. The key signal to watch is whether the US travel advisory is actually revised and what sectors get economic engagement, because that will reveal if Washington is willing to push for broader access.
Source: greaterkashmir.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
