The delegation members of European Parliament objected to the “wrong presentation” of their visit by some of the media outlets and said that the key motive of their visit was to have information about the situation in the Kashmir valley.
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One of the members, Thierry Mariani said he has been to India several times before. “I am not here to interfere in Indian politics,” he said while adding that the purpose was to have information about the situation.
Stressing that terrorism is now a world problem, Mariani said he did not want Kashmir to become a “second Afghanistan.”
He also said they had a discussion with a civil society where their members talked of being Indian citizens and having a development like in other parts of India. While addressing a press conference with other delegation members, Henri Maloose from France said, “Some Indian channels have given the wrong presentation of our visit.”
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Criticism
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Kashmir Council Europe (KCEU) Ali Raza Syed has said that by inviting a selected group of members of European lawmakers to occupied Kashmir, Indian authorities have tried to mislead the world.
In a statement issued in Brussels, he said it is a trick to show to the world that all is well in the territory. Ali Raza Syed said India has created an environment of fear in the valley as the curfew confined the people to their homes and economy of the valley has been destroyed.
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Media outlets from Pakistan have lambasted the visit of EU delegation. Reports from Pakistan state that Indian government has miserably failed to depict normalcy in Kashmir on the occasion of the two-day visit by EU lawmakers to the Kashmir valley.
The visiting team found cities in Kashmir valley deserted and the government did not allow anybody from political parties and trade unions to meet them. The Kashmiri members of Indian parliament had sought an appointment with the team, but they were denied the meeting.
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The editors of local newspapers and correspondents of media channels were not invited to press conference addressed by the visiting MEPs. Only selected unknown journalists were allowed to attend the press conference, while very limited questions were entertained. Nobody knew who were responsible for the conduct of the visit.