Supporters of Pakistan may decide to forego the G20.
Countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia may follow China’s lead and opt-out.
ISLAMABAD:
The Narendra Modi government’s efforts to portray normalcy in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) have taken a hit as China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia are all expected to avoid the G20 conference India is hosting in Srinagar.
The Chinese government has previously stated that it will not participate in the tourist conference that begins on Monday. If these nations do not go, Pakistan will claim a big diplomatic win.
Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia may decide to skip the contentious summit in the disputed area, according to diplomatic sources and data accessible to the Pakistani authorities.
Diplomatic sources say that only diplomats based in New Delhi will make the trip to Srinagar, reflecting a decision by certain European nations to scale back their involvement.
Initially reported by the Express Tribune, China and Turkey were not expected to send delegations to the disputed Kashmir area for the G20 tourism meeting scheduled for May 22–24.
The spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wang Wenbin, said on Friday that China is “firmly opposed to holding any kind of G20 meetings in disputed territory” and that China will not attend any such meetings. Both China and Pakistan have criticised India for hosting the meeting in IIOJK.
There are 20 wealthy nations in the G20, including the European Union. Eighty percent of global GDP is generated within the intergovernmental bloc. India is serving as the group’s chair for the current year.
In preparation for the G20 summit in New Delhi this September, India has hosted a number of regional meetings as the current chair. China, Turkey, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia are just few of the countries that have close ties to Pakistan and are members of the organisation.
Pakistan went on the diplomatic offensive when India said it will host the tourism conference in Srinagar. According to official sources, China and Turkey are not sending delegations to the Srinagar meeting, therefore Pakistan’s efforts were partially successful.
Pakistan is anticipating support from Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. Given the gravity of the topic, other countries are also sending solely their New Delhi-based officials to the meeting.
Independent experts, such as United Nations Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues Fernand de Varennes, argue that the Indian government’s efforts to pretend “all is well” in the disputed territory cannot sweep the matter under the rug.
Last week, De Varennes published a statement in which he accused India of exploiting the G20 gathering to normalise the “brutal and repressive denial of democratic and other rights of Kashmiri Muslims and minorities.”
The UN expert stated that since Kashmir has been directly ruled by New Delhi, “massive human rights violations” have been observed in the region. Torture, extrajudicial executions, and the suppression of the political rights of Muslims and other minorities in Kashmir were among these.
