ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has expressed its strong condemnation of India’s decision to host the G20 Tourism Working Group meeting in Srinagar city of occupied Jammu and Kashmir on May 22-24, observing that New Delhi is exploiting its membership of an international grouping to advance its self-serving agenda.
India will host more than 200 G20 meetings at over 50 locations during the year, including disputed Kashmir, to promote green tourism and launch a publicity campaign in overseas markets during its presidency of the forum this year, officials said.
According to a statement issued by Foreign Office on Tuesday, the move is the latest in a series of self-serving measures to perpetuate India’s occupation of the Himalayan region in sheer disregard of the Security Council resolutions and in violation of the principles of the UN Charter and international law.
The Foreign Office further said that India’s decision to host the events in the disputed region is another attempt to exploit its membership of an important international grouping for advancing its self-serving agenda.
Additionally, the scheduling of two other meetings of a consultative forum on youth affairs (Y-20) in Leh and Srinagar is equally disconcerting.
Pakistan strongly condemns these moves and asserts that such events cannot hide the reality of Jammu and Kashmir being an internationally recognised dispute that has remained on the agenda of the Security Council for over seven decades.
The statement added that such activities could not divert the international community’s attention from India’s brutal suppression of the people of occupied Kashmir, including illegal attempts to change the demographic composition of the occupied territory.
The Foreign Office expressed disappointment that for a country that has a grandiose vision of itself and its place in the world, India has once again demonstrated that it is unable to act as a responsible member of the international community.
India took on the G20 presidency in December. The group is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s 20 major developed and developing economies.
India expects that a G20 tourism ministers’ conference, due later this year, would focus on sustainable tourism to support the environment and create opportunities for local businesses.
The government of Narendra Modi is pushing green initiatives to promote responsible tourism in the country and authorities plan to ensure small businesses have the resources for green investments and to create local jobs.
Arvind Singh, secretary at the ministry of tourism, said more than 100,000 foreign delegates from the G20 are expected to visit India this year and would be able to experience its diverse culture, including historic monuments and festivals.
— With Reuters
