EU MPs back India on Article 370, say Kashmir is its internal matter

  • The group condemns Tuesday’s attack on migrant labourers, supports Delhi in its fight against terrorism
  • EU delegates were briefed by the Army and the police, and exchanged ‘ideas of peace’ with activists

Elizabeth Roche
Updated30 Oct 2019, 11:49 PM IST
Members of European Parliament arrive in New Delhi after their visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday
Members of European Parliament arrive in New Delhi after their visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) visiting Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday backed India on its stance against terrorism, condemning the targeted killing of six migrant labourers a day earlier.

The group, which addressed a press conference in Srinagar on the last day of their two-day visit, also supported India’s position on the revocation of Article 370 as an internal matter. They said they had spoken to some groups of people during their visit who had expressed a desire for peace and development.

“If we talk about Article 370 it is India’s internal matter,” said Henri Malosse from France.

“What concerns us is terrorism, which is a global menace, and we should stand with India in fighting it. There was an unfortunate incident of the killing of five innocent labourers by terrorists. We condemn it,” Malosse said.

Terrorists shot five migrant labourers in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Tuesday. A sixth labourer succumbed to injures on Wednesday. All were from West Bengal.

Malosse said the team got a briefing from the army and police, as well as from young activists, and exchanged “ideas of peace”.

The international media coverage of Indian curbs imposed in the region seemed biased, said Ryszard Czarnecki of Poland. “Once we go back to our countries we will inform them of what we saw,” he said.

On criticism in the Indian media that the MEPs belonged to right-of-centre parties, Thierry Mariani said: “By calling us fascists, our image has been tarnished. It’s better that one should know about us properly before tarnishing our image.”

“Terrorists can destroy a country. I have been to Afghanistan and Syria and I have seen what terrorism has done. We stand with India in its fight against terrorism,” Mariani said.

The delegation is the first high-level foreign visit to Kashmir after the 5 August revocation of the state’s special status.

The arrival of the MEPs coincided with a shutdown, stone pelting, and clashes between people and security forces in several parts of the city and the Kashmir Valley, news agency PTI reported. Terrorists also fired at a bullet-proof mobile bunker of the Central Reserve Police Force in Pulwama but there were no casualties.

In New Delhi, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the government had “insulted India’s Parliament and democratic spirit” through the move. “The truth is that this is the biggest diplomatic blunder in India’s history. The Modi government has deliberately internationalized the Kashmir issue, violating our time-tested policy of Kashmir being an internal matter of India,” he said.

“The Modi government has committed a grave sacrilege by introducing a third party to assess the ground situation in Kashmir and that also through an unknown think tank. By doing so, the government has caused an affront to India’s sovereign right over Jammu and Kashmir,” Surjewala added.

Anuja contributed to this story.

Catch all the Business News, Politics news,Breaking NewsEvents andLatest News Updates on Live Mint. Download TheMint News App to get Daily Market Updates.

MoreLess
First Published:30 Oct 2019, 11:49 PM IST
Business NewsPoliticsNewsEU MPs back India on Article 370, say Kashmir is its internal matter

Get Instant Loan up to ₹10 Lakh!

  • Employment Type

    Most Active Stocks

    Tata Steel share price

    150.90
    03:56 PM | 7 NOV 2024
    -2.7 (-1.76%)

    Bharat Electronics share price

    300.20
    03:58 PM | 7 NOV 2024
    -1.65 (-0.55%)

    Bank Of Baroda share price

    262.90
    03:29 PM | 7 NOV 2024
    0.3 (0.11%)

    Indian Oil Corporation share price

    144.20
    03:59 PM | 7 NOV 2024
    -0.45 (-0.31%)
    More Active Stocks

    Market Snapshot

    • Top Gainers
    • Top Losers
    • 52 Week High

    Apollo Hospitals Enterprise share price

    7,424.60
    03:40 PM | 7 NOV 2024
    454.75 (6.52%)

    Welspun Corp share price

    798.00
    03:29 PM | 7 NOV 2024
    24.55 (3.17%)

    City Union Bank share price

    181.50
    03:29 PM | 7 NOV 2024
    2 (1.11%)

    Federal Bank share price

    206.00
    03:57 PM | 7 NOV 2024
    1.2 (0.59%)
    More from 52 Week High

    Hindalco Industries share price

    648.35
    03:51 PM | 7 NOV 2024
    -59.9 (-8.46%)

    Trent share price

    6,498.45
    03:59 PM | 7 NOV 2024
    -454.6 (-6.54%)

    Glenmark Pharmaceuticals share price

    1,658.00
    03:29 PM | 7 NOV 2024
    -110.95 (-6.27%)

    Blue Star share price

    1,776.95
    03:56 PM | 7 NOV 2024
    -101.8 (-5.42%)
    More from Top Losers

    Swan Energy share price

    535.60
    03:29 PM | 7 NOV 2024
    39.05 (7.86%)

    KEC International share price

    1,050.30
    03:40 PM | 7 NOV 2024
    74.8 (7.67%)

    Apollo Hospitals Enterprise share price

    7,424.60
    03:40 PM | 7 NOV 2024
    454.75 (6.52%)

    FSN E-Commerce Ventures share price

    192.90
    03:29 PM | 7 NOV 2024
    11.45 (6.31%)
    More from Top Gainers

    Recommended For You

      More Recommendations

      Gold Prices

      • 24K
      • 22K
      Bangalore
      78,575.00-1,790.00
      Chennai
      78,581.00-1,790.00
      Delhi
      78,733.00-1,790.00
      Kolkata
      78,585.00-1,790.00

      Fuel Price

      • Petrol
      • Diesel
      Bangalore
      102.92/L0.00
      Chennai
      100.80/L0.00
      Kolkata
      104.95/L0.00
      New Delhi
      94.77/L0.00

      Popular in Politics

        HomeMarketsPremiumInstant LoanMint Shorts