The Congress on Thursday accused the Union government of adopting double standards on the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) issue by taking ambassadors on “guided political tourism” while barring Indian politicians from the erstwhile State.
“We don’t have a problem with the visit of the envoys, but the government is adopting double standards by allowing the envoys to visit Jammu and Kashmir, but not Indian politicians,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said at a press conference.
The party’s attack came on a day when the Ambassadors from 16 countries, including U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Juster, arrived in Srinagar on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir. It is the first visit by diplomats since August last when the erstwhile State was divested of its special status and bifurcated into two Union Territories.
Mr. Ramesh pointed out that former Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, of the National Conference, and Mehbooba Mufti of the PDP, were still in detention. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and another former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury had to take the Supreme Court’s permission to visit Srinagar, he said.
“We demand that the government allow all politicians unfettered access to Jammu and Kashmir and not resort to guided tours for envoys,” he said. “There have been no meaningful political activity in Jammu and Kashmir since August last. We demand that the Centre immediately start a meaningful political process.”
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