#India hosts #G20 #tourism meet in occupied #Kashmir under heavy #security
MNP – The #Indian-occupied valley has been roiled for decades by a movement seeking #independence or a merger with #Pakistan, with tens of thousands of #civilians, #soldiers and #Kashmiri #freedom fighters killed in the #conflict.
Police said last week that security had been beefed up “to avoid any chance of terrorist #attack during the G20” meeting, the first diplomatic event in the territory since #NewDelhi revoked its limited autonomy and took direct control in 2019.
The three-day gathering will take place at a sprawling, well-guarded venue on the shores of Dal Lake in Srinagar.
Roads leading to the location have been freshly black-topped, and electricity poles lit up in the colours of India’s national flag to show what officials say is “normalcy and peace returning” to the region.
India has been promoting tourism in Kashmir and more than a million of its citizens visited last year.
– China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia stay away –
No Chinese delegates will be attending the event.
India and its northern neighbour are locked in a military standoff along their mostly undemarcated border in the Ladakh region.
