Tag: madi sharma

MHA Says MEPs Who Visited J&K ‘Got a Sense of Threat of Terrorism’

The home ministry did not say why Indian MPs have been kept away from the Valley.

New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs has claimed that the 27 Members of European Parliament, who paid a highly publicised and controversial private visit to Jammu and Kashmir from October 27, “got a sense of the threat of terrorism” during their stay.

In response to a query on the issue by Samajwadi Party MP Chaudhary Sukhram Singh Yadav in Rajya Sabha, minister of state for home G. Kishan Reddy said: “The government of Jammu and Kashmir has reported that a group of 27 Members of European Parliament (MEPs), who belonged to different political parties including ruling and opposition parties, paid a private visit to India from 28th October, 2019 to 1st November, 2019 at the invitation of International Institute for Nonaligned Studies, a Delhi based think tank.”

The minister did not directly answer whether the government had “given permission to the delegation of European MPs to meet citizens of Jammu and Kashmir to assess the current situation there”.

Also read: MEP Dropped From Visit Says it Is ‘Affront to Democracy’ that Indian MPs Are Barred from Kashmir

The minister also did not answer directly the question posed by Yadav on “the justification for stopping the delegation of Indian MPs, which earlier went there to meet the citizens”.

To this, he only said: “The Indian delegation of MPs were not allowed to visit Kashmir Valley due to security concerns.”

On the reasons for facilitating the visit of MEPs, the MHA said: “Meetings were facilitated for the MEPs, as has been done previously on familiarisation visits for the visiting Members of Parliament of different countries. Further, the MEPs had expressed their desire that they would like to visit Kashmir to understand how terrorism is affecting India and how this has been a challenge for India.”

As for the takeaways from this ‘familiarisation visit’, Reddy said: “They got a sense of the threat of terrorism and how terrorism poses a threat to India especially in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Such exchanges promote deeper people to people contact and ultimately it feeds into the larger relationship which any two countries would like to develop.”

Also read: Mysterious Entity Behind MEPs Kashmir Visit, Srivastava Group Has Little Public Presence

Answering another question by Javed Ali Khan, also a Samajwadi Party MP, on who bore the expenses of the visit and if the institution which organised the tour was working as a coordinating institution of the government of India, the minister furnished the same standard reply that the visit was at the invitation of the Delhi-based think tank.

To another question on whether the Centre has “distracted from its policy of not allowing any external intervention in Jammu-Kashmir issue,” the minister responded saying: “India’s consistent position has been that issues, if any, with Pakistan are discussed only bilaterally. There is no scope for any third party role or mediation.”

Another question on the issue was posed by Jose K. Mani of Kerala Congress (M) who asked if the Centre felt “emboldened by the situation in the Kashmir valley coming under relative control” and if this enabled it muster confidence to take the “risk of allowing a delegation of EU parliamentarians to assess the ground realities” when it has been stringent in not allowing free access to Jammu and Kashmir.

But the minister again stuck to the line and repeated the introductory part about the think tank inviting the MEPs and how “such exchanges promote deeper people to people contact”.

PDP’s Selective Action Against Party Leaders Creates Fresh Fissures

The party expelled its Rajya Sabha MP Nazir Ahmad Laway for ‘anti-party activities’ but did nothing against Muzaffar Hussain Baig, for his attempts to reach out to New Delhi.

Srinagar: The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on November 1, expelled its Rajya Sabha MP Nazir Ahmad Laway from the party’s basic membership for his “anti-party activities”.

However, the party did not act against another senior leader, Muzaffar Hussain Baig, for his attempts to reach out to New Delhi.

Laway ‘undermined’ the party

Laway’s alleged fault was his participation in the swearing-in ceremony of the newly appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the Union territory of J&K, Girish Chandra Murmu, in the summer capital Srinagar on October 31.

The PDP termed Laway’s participation as a “contravention” to its stand regarding the prevailing political situation in J&K following New Delhi’s unilateral decision to scrap the state’s special status under Article 370 of the constitution.

“The decision (to expel Laway) was taken because he undermined the party position by taking part in the swearing-in ceremony,” reads the statement issued by PDP.

The swearing-in ceremony held at Raj Bhawan was a low-key affair and marked the first day of the transition of J&K into two Union territories under the J&K Re-organisation Act, 2019.

Apart from senior officials of the state, invitations were extended to MPs from J&K. None other than Laway, accused of cozying up to BJP, attended the function, embarrassing his party.

A senior party leader privy to Laway’s expulsion said his participation in the swearing-in ceremony was “endorsement” of New Delhi’s new arrangement for J&K.

“It was not a small act. He is a habitual offender,” said the party leader pleading anonymity. “His Twitter handle shows that in the past two months he has spoken everything in favour of Delhi and nothing for Kashmir. At the end of the day, it undermines the party leadership,” the party leader said.


The PDP spokesperson Firdous Tak said the party remains ‘sacrosanct and above individual members’. According to Tak, the party cannot be part of any discourse which has the potential to further alienate the people of J&K.

Watch | Kashmir: ‘Timing, Selection of Euro MPs Could Have Been Better’

“The decision (to expel Laway) must have been taken after considering all the circumstances and facts and present political situation in Kashmir,” said Tak.

Unchallenged Baig

Contrary to the action against Laway, the PDP has chosen not to act against Baig, its chief patron, who last week met the delegation of European Union lawmakers in New Delhi, ahead of their visit to Kashmir.

The sojourn of the EU lawmakers was described by many as arranged by New Delhi to project that the situation was normal in the otherwise restive region.

The dichotomy in PDP’s modus operandi has now raised eyebrows over its functioning. The decision to “use two yardsticks”, as one party member described it, has not gone down well within the party ranks.

Baig participated in the closed-door meeting with the EU members at a time when the PDP said that it would not participate in any “choreographed rhetoric” to present normalcy in Kashmir.

Baig was leading two other Kashmiri politicians, Altaf Bukhari and Usman Majeed.

Bukhari has served as a minister in the previous PDP-BJP coalition. However, he was removed from the party after BJP pulled the rug from under the then chief minister Mehbooba Mufti’s feet in June last year.

A file photo of Narendra Modi and Mehbooba Mufti. Credit: PTI

A file photo of Narendra Modi and Mehbooba Mufti. Photo: PTI

Majeed, an Ikhwan commander (counterinsurgent) turned politician, is a member of the Congress party. He has been issued a show-cause notice by the party high command asking him to explain his meeting with the EU delegation.

Reports said that the trio also met the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval who briefed the high profile delegation of Kashmir situation.

The EU parliamentary delegation visit was also questioned by Mehbooba’s daughter, Iltija, who operates her mother’s Twitter account and responds to every political development vis-à-vis Kashmir.

“Wondering what outcome GOI expected by sending a group of mostly right-leaning Islamophobic EUMPs to Kashmir? Were you expecting nine million oppressed Kashmiris to lay out a red carpet for them?,” read a statement posted by Iltija which coincided with the EU delegation visit.

Ironically, a day after Baig’s meeting with the EU parliamentarians, the PDP distanced itself from the development saying the party leader had gone in his “individual capacity”.

Also read: In Kashmir, the Justice System Is in Limbo

“He met EU parliamentarians in his individual capacity. PDP has nothing to do with the meeting,” an official spokesperson said. “The party’s stand is clear that it will not be part of any choreographed rhetoric to present normalcy in Kashmir. The party stand is also clear on the issue of Article 370.”

A former PDP minister, wishing not to be named, said that given that Baig was the chief patron of the party, his participation in the meeting with the EU delegation was seen as a “sellout” by the party and a “compromise” of its stand on Kashmir.

“The party should have acted 9against Baig) given the stand that the PDP will sacrifice everything for its agenda,” said the former PDP minister. “If the party can act against the MP [Laway] for undermining the party’s stand, why no action against him [Baig], who too has crossed the line.”

Another leader said Baig’s meeting “hurt” the party’s stand on Kashmir, particularly in the wake of the August 5 decision of the government of India.

“The European delegation was bussed to the Valley to present a rosy picture of the situation which is far from reality. It was a managed event and unfortunately PDP became a party to it,” the leader said.

Unmoved Laway  

Defending his decision to participate in the swearing-in ceremony, Laway said there was no direction from the party against attending the function.

“Had it been so, I won’t have attended it. I attended the oath ceremony (of the Lt Governor) in the capacity of the Rajya Sabha member and not as PDP member,” the MP from Kulgam district said.

Laway denied having knowledge about his expulsion from the party.

“How can a party spokesperson issue a statement claiming that I have been expelled from the party when our President (Mehbooba) is in jail,” Laway said. “I want to know who the spokesperson is and what authority does he hold to expel me from the party.”

Mehbooba, who is the former J&K chief minister has been under detention since August 5, the day New Delhi unilaterally scrapped J&K’s special status.

This is not for the first time that Laway has acted against the party’s directive. Earlier this year, he abstained from voting against the Triple Talaq bill in Rajya Sabha, despite directions from the party president.

“That time Laway even ignored the direction from the party leadership to resign as MP for violating the directions,” said another party member.

Laway tore a copy of the constitution, along with another PDP MP Mir Muhammed Fayaz on August 5, minutes before the Union Home Minister Amit Shah laid the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill in the Rajya Sabha.

The bigger game?

Both Laway’s participation in the swearing-in ceremony and Baig’s meeting with the MEPs could be an indicator of fresh fissures within the party at a time when its leadership and leaders of other political parties are in jail and the political process has come to a grinding halt in the region.

Also read: Euro MPs In, Indian MPs Out – and Democracy Down the Drain in Kashmir

“For the PDP cadre, Mehbooba Mufti is the uncontested leader and under present circumstances, we shall stand by her and people. In 2015, she was pressurised to take up reins of the government in the state by Delhi when it indulged in different pressure tactics. Today, again they are trying to weaken her through same tactics,” said Tak.

Unfazed, Baig, a Harvard Law School Graduate and former advocate general of J&K, on November 2 issued a statement asking politicians in J&K to evolve a common strategy on the issue of contesting elections.

“If political parties have some understanding with the central government then they should contest,” Baig, the former deputy chief minister was quoted by IANS as having said. “Otherwise, the excuse will be you did not contest the elections, you are not the representatives of the people and why should we listen to you to restore the statehood and grant you the benefits of Article 371 of the Constitution of India.”

The statement from Baig, who many believe nurtures an ambition to become the chief minister of the state, came on the day a local newspaper reported that hectic parleys were underway with several politicians, including Baig on board, to prepare the ground for a new front to lead a future civilian government in J&K, excluding the Abdullahs and Muftis.

Watch | Kashmir: ‘Timing, Selection of Euro MPs Could Have Been Better’

In an interview, former high commissioner to Pakistan Sharat Sabharwal repeatedly said this visit would not have been so controversial if Indian politicians had been permitted to visit Kashmir.

“It would have been better if the EU MPs visit had happened later with a better selection of MPs,” is the view of former high commissioner to Pakistan Sharat Sabharwal, at the end of the two-day visit by 23 right-wing members of the European Parliament.

In a 40-minute interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire, he said the fact that nearly all of them came from right-wing, anti-immigrant, which effectively means anti-Muslim, parties would detract from the credibility of any clean chit they may have chosen to give India.

He pointed out that the criticism India faces for the lockdown, restrictions and detentions in Kashmir as well as allegations of human rights violations come primarily from liberal parties. These right-wing MPs would not be effective in countering that criticism. In fact, Sabharwal suggested, any clean chit from these right-wingers could provoke further criticism from liberal parties.

Also read: Mysterious Entity Behind MEPs Kashmir Visit, Srivastava Group Has Little Public Presence

When asked if it was a mistake to make these right-wing, anti-immigrant MPs the first foreigners permitted to visit Kashmir since August 5, Sabharwal made clear that it would have been better if the visit had happened later, when there was more normalcy in Kashmir and after Indian MPs had been permitted to visit. He also said it would have preferable if the MPs had better represented the full cross-section of political opinion in Europe. He agreed that these right-wing, anti-immigrant MPs did not gel, but clashed with or contradicted, India’s self-image as a liberal secular democracy.

Speaking about Madi Sharma’s WESTT and the International Institute for Non-Aligned Studies, Sabharwal said these were small and little-known lobby groups but it was not unusual for the government to use lobbyists to project the country’s viewpoint and respond to criticism. Sabharwal said Madi Sharma’s letter of invitation to the MPs made it clear that she had some sort of link with the prime minister, otherwise how could she promise “a meeting” with him and add that he would “like to meet influential decision makers from the European Union”?

Sabharwal agreed that the European MPs had only met with a carefully chosen and sanitised selection of people and added it would have been better if they could have met others who were critical of what’s happened in Kashmir. He said that would have enhanced the credibility of the visit and also added to India’s image as the world’s largest democracy.

Also read: Euro MPs In, Indian MPs Out – and Democracy Down the Drain in Kashmir

Sabharwal said if widespread reports that local Kashmiri journalists were barred from the press conference held by the European MPs at the end of their visit and only a few selected journalists permitted to attend with their questions vetted are true, “this would be undesirable”.

Sabharwal repeatedly said this visit would not have been so controversial if Indian politicians had been permitted to visit Kashmir. He agreed that the paradox of carefully selected right-wing, anti-immigrant European MPs being facilitated to visit Kashmir whilst Indian politicians are barred would detract from the credibility of this visit in European eyes and in the way it is viewed by the western media.

Asked if he agreed with comments made by Congress and Communist Party of Indian (Marxist) leaders that this visit has internationalised Kashmir, Sabharwal said that, in fact, that had happened in August when India changed Kashmir’s constitutional status. He pointed out that for the last 15-20 years, no one had raised questions about the accession of Kashmir or the basis of India’s sovereignty over the state. Now that debate has been rekindled in India and, inevitably, it will also echo in the western media. However, Sabharwal added that he did not think the visit of European MPs would specifically add to internationalisation of Kashmir.

Also read: Doval’s Dog and Pony Show for MEPs Is a Disaster for Indian Diplomacy

After serving as high commissioner to Pakistan, Sabharwal also served as a central information commissioner.

Mysterious Entity Behind MEPs Kashmir Visit, Srivastava Group Has Little Public Presence

The group lists a host of companies as part of its business, but most of the firms transact no real business, which raises questions on how it was able to pull off the MEP-Kashmir trip undertaking.

New Delhi: The Srivastava Group, the business house behind the International Institute of Non-Aligned Studies, a little-known organisation which allegedly funded the visit of lawmakers from the European Union to Kashmir, has a host of companies that do little to no business, filings with the Registrar of Companies (RoC) reveal.

On its website, the group describes itself as one of “the fastest growing business houses in the country with interests in Natural resources, Clean energy, Airspace, Consulting services, Healthcare, Print Media and Publishing.”

The group says it lives by the following statement:

“Believe in change, and the change will believe in you. We believe in saying no to thousands of projects, so that we can really focus on the few that are truly important and meaningful to us. We believe in deep collaboration and cross-pollination of our various sectors we harbour, which allow us to innovate in a way that others cannot. We don’t believe in settling for anything less than excellence in every group in the company, and we have the self-honesty to admit when we’re wrong and the courage to change.”

A perusal of corporate filings done by various group companies with the RoC throws up several questions on the nature of business of the group which is believed to have funded and hosted the European lawmakers.

Dubious news sites and a wedding business

All group companies have two common directors – Ankit Srivastava and Neha Srivastava. The phone number listed under IINS is registered in the name of a person called Ankit Srivastava.

Both the Srivastava Group and IINS share a common address: A-2/59, Safdarjung Enclave, Delhi. The group publishes New Delhi Times, a nearly invisible newspaper, with an associated website and Twitter handle.

The entrance to the address registered for the Srivastava Group and IINS.

The entrance to the address registered for the Srivastava Group and IINS. Photo: Avichal Dubey/The Wire

A picture of the building at A-2/59, Safdarjung Enclave.

A picture of the building at A-2/59, Safdarjung Enclave. Photo: Avichal Dubey/The Wire

A recent article in The Week has also revealed how the Srivastava Group has been linked to a dubious news site in Brussels that was re-purposing content from Russia Today.

The group claims to have offices in Belgium, Switzerland and Canada besides New Delhi. The Geneva number listed on the company website did not exist and the Edmonton, Canada address listed as an office of the group also turned out to be an address of a Punjabi wedding and event management business called In Vogue Weddings and Events.

Sham companies of the Srivastava group

But these aren’t the only questionable details on the group. The Srivastava Group lists a host of companies as part of its business. But documents filed with the RoC reveal most of these companies transact no real business, which raises questions on how this group was able to cobble together a group of MEPs, manage a meeting with the prime minister and organise a tour programme to Kashmir which is out of bounds for opposition party leaders in India.

A simple database search reveals that Neha and Ankit Srivastava are common directors on seven companies of which three have been struck off.

A2N Broadcasting Limited posted a loss of around Rs 2,000 last year. It has no assets and no revenues. It has a balance of Rs 10,000 with Citibank and Rs 10,000 with the Oriental Bank of Commerce.

Srivastava Medicare Private Limited, with a paid up share capital of Rs 1 lakh, posted a loss of Rs 2.48 lakh for the financial year 2018.

New Delhi Aviation, with a paid up share capital of Rs 1 lakh, is involved in “activities of travel agencies.”

A2N Energy supply, again with a paid up share capital of Rs 1 lakh, is into hot water supply.

Srivastava Group Private Limited, incorporated in 2018, also has a paid up share capital of Rs 1 lakh.

ANR Healthcare Private Limited with a paid up share capital of Rs 1 lakh posted a loss of Rs 31.56 lakh for financial year 2018.

Attempts by The Wire to reach the office holders of the International Institute of Non-Aligned Studies and Srivastava Group have proved unsuccessful.

Watch | The Media and the Government’s Handpicked Foreign Delegation for Kashmir

Senior journalists Ashutosh and Purnima Joshi in conversation with Urmilesh about the visit of the EU’s parliamentary delegation to Kashmir.

Urmilesh speaks to senior journalists Ashutosh and Purnima Joshi about the visit of the EU’s parliamentary delegation to Kashmir and the Modi government’s unwillingness to send Indian MPs to the Valley. They also assess the mainstream media’s coverage of the entire episode.

Euro MPs In, Indian MPs Out – and Democracy Down the Drain in Kashmir

What kind of state bans the free movement of opposition politicians while taking specially selected invitees on a Potemkin tour? Only an authoritarian one.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s hare-brained scheme of getting 20-plus far-right Members of the European Parliament to make a “private visit” to Kashmir is a horrendous self-goal that not only shows India and Indian democracy in bad light but will also end up making the country more enemies than friends.

As propaganda moves go, this week’s conducted tour is at a very high level of stupid. This is because even if the junket is a success and the MEPs praise the Modi government’s policies in Kashmir – as some of them appear to have done at a rigged “press conference” in Srinagar from which Kashmiri journalists were excluded – the fact that most of them are seen in their own societies as xenophobic politicians with scant regard for human rights is not exactly the kind of messaging that gels with a feel good, Incredible India campaign.

These are politicians who represent parties that are seen as racist or xenophobic. Now, these parties may share the Islamophobia of the BJP and RSS but even if you are a Hindutva supporter, trust me, you don’t want these guys on your side. European hatred against minorities can take on terrible forms, and I’m not talking about the Nazis – with whom even the European media compares some of the right-wing political strains currently on the rise in the continent. Anyone remember the “manifesto” released by the xenophobic Anders Breivik who killed dozens of people in Oslo, Norway in 2011, and how he pledged his support “to the nationalists in the Indian civil war and in the deportation of all Muslims from India”?

But I’m getting ahead of the story here, because we need to be clear, at the outset just how foolish this propaganda tour really is.

Also Read: European Delegates May Endorse Govt on Kashmir, But Will it Really Help?

I’m not talking about the misplaced complaint some people have made that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NSA Doval are “internationalising” Kashmir. There is no contradiction between insisting Kashmir is India’s internal problem and allowing or even encouraging foreign legislators, journalists and researchers to visit Kashmir. India is meant to be a democracy and democracies have no reason to hide an entire state – or union territory – from the eyes of the world. So I think it’s great that MEPs have gone to Kashmir. I only wish the Modi government would also allow foreign diplomats and foreign journalists to go there and meet whomever they want, unlike the MEPs.

Opposition out, MEPs in

The bigger issue is that this willingness to take Euro MPs to Kashmir comes at a time when opposition leaders and some civil society activists like Yashwant Sinha and Sandeep Pandey have been detained by the authorities at Srinagar airport and sent back to Delhi on the next flight out. The Congress’s Ghulam Nabi Azad – himself a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir – had to petition the Supreme Court for permission to visit the Valley. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury had to do the same.

What is astonishing is that the bench led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, instead of ruling against these absurd restrictions, imposed some more of its own! The judges told Yechury that he was being allowed to visit Srinagar only to meet his ailing party comrade, Yusuf Tarigami, and that if he did anything else while there (presumably, like meeting ordinary Kashmiris or speaking to reporters), he would be in breach of court orders:

“On due consideration, we permit the petitioner to travel to Jammu & Kashmir for the aforesaid purpose and for no other purpose. We make it clear that if the petitioner is found to be indulging in any other act, omission or commission save and except what has been indicated above i.e. to meet his friend and colleague party member and to enquire about his welfare and health condition, it will be construed to be a violation of this Court’s order.”

So Indian MPs and opposition leaders cannot visit Srinagar except with the Supreme Court’s permission and even then are told they cannot interact with local people. Yet the government has no problem allowing a delegation of European MPs to visit the Valley!

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami at Tuesday’s press conference. Photo: Twitter/@MayukhBiswas

Something doesn’t quite add up, so what’s going on here? Clearly, the PMO – specifically NSA Ajit Doval, who fancies himself as an ace intelligence man – thought they could counter some of the adverse international press their Kashmir policy has rightly generated by selling the pup of “normalcy” to a group of respectable sounding foreigners specially selected for the junket because they might be predisposed to buying the story that “Islamist terror” is the problem in Kashmir and not the denial of fundamental rights by the government.

So they reach out to a Brussels-based think-tank called WESTT – Women’s Economic and Social Think Tank – run by an Indian-origin British businesswoman called Madi Sharma. I imagine Doval & Co have dealt with Sharma before. On October 7, she invites select MEPs to travel to Delhi and Kashmir – at the expense of a Delhi-based NGO. This is an extract of the letter she wrote to one MEP, Chris Davies of the UK Liberal Democrats:

“I am organising a prestigious VIP meeting with the Prime Minister of India, His Excellency Narendra Modi and it is my privilege to offer this invitation to you.

“As you will be aware, Prime Minister Modi had a landslide victory in the recent elections in India and is planning to continue on his path of growth and development for India the country and its people.

“In that respect, he would like to meet influential decision makers from the European Union. I am therefore inquiring if you would be interested to visit Delhi, India, to meet with the Prime Minister. The meeting with the Prime Minister is scheduled for 28th October, with a visit to Kashmir on 29th and a press conference on 30th.

“The visit will be of a small group of cross party, pan European politicians on a three-day visit (flight and accommodations will be covered and are sponsored by the International Institute for Non-Aligned Studies). Your participation will be as our VIP guest and not in an official capacity as a delegation of Members of the European Parliament.”

Davies smelt a rat. He told The Wire‘s Devirupa Mitra that he had never heard of the organisers and shared the reply he sent the very next day:

“Thank you for your invitation, I am happy to accept, on the condition that during my time in Kashmir I shall be free or go wherever I wish, and talk to whoever I wish, unaccompanied by military, police or security forces, but accompanied by journalists and television crews.

“Please provide this absolute guarantee in writing, and let us then discuss the timings of the visit.”

Now it was Madi Sharma’s turn to baulk. She initially agreed to meet with him to “discuss the visit further” but two days later, wrote to him saying:

“I apologise that I cannot take any more MEPs at this stage… When I return from India I will arrange a suitable time to pass by your offices in the hope that we can arrange a future visit.”

Also Read: MEP Dropped From Visit Says it Is ‘Affront to Democracy’ that Indian MPs Are Barred from Kashmir

Clearly, the last thing the hidden hands behind this junket wanted was for any of these VIP invitees to have unscripted encounters with Kashmiris who have not been screened. So Davies was dropped.

Chris Davies has said he is unlikely to be part of the Modi government’s PR stunt regarding Kashmir. Photo: Twitter/@ChrisDaviesLD

Finally, Sharma brought a delegation of 27 MEPs to Delhi. They met Modi, were given lunch by Doval and, I believe, dinner by external affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. On Tuesday, they were in Srinagar, or rather a Potemkin Village they will be told is Srinagar. The Wire’s questions to Madi Sharma about how she got involved in the trip and her connection to the International Institute of Nonaligned Studies (whose website, under its “Activities” tab, shows no event since 1998) have gone unanswered. The IINS has also proved unresponsive to media queries.

Democracies don’t do conducted tours

What Modi and Doval don’t realise is that democracies don’t do conducted tours. They allow folks to travel as they please, to see and hear things as they please – and this applies both to their own people and to foreigners.

Madi Sharma’s email inviting Chris Davies, MEP to be part of the Kashmir trip.

The best way to get the world to start saying that things in Kashmir are normal is by actually letting things in Kashmir get back to normal – for example, by turning on the internet, letting people travel and communicate, releasing all political prisoners, allowing political parties and their leaders to function the way they are meant to in a real democracy.

But no, the government won’t do any of that. They will release political leaders only if they sign a bond in which they commit never to speak about the current situation in Kashmir for a whole year. Is this what things getting to normal looks like?

I will let the British MEP who was dropped from this trip, Chris Davies, have the last word: “I only heard today that Indian MPs are not being allowed to visit Kashmir,” he told The Wire. “If this is the case it is an outrageous affront to democracy and I am deeply disappointed. India is a great country and we expect better from its government.”

Ordinary Kashmiris have been saying this from day one. But now that a European MP has also said it – and we know how important they are – can Modiji please pay heed?

Doval’s Dog and Pony Show for MEPs Is a Disaster for Indian Diplomacy

Like many of the other hasty decisions that the Modi government has taken, its latest move reveals an alarming level of incompetence.  

As a tactic to improve the optics of the Jammu and Kashmir situation, the government’s effort to recruit a gaggle of Members of European Parliament (MEPs) for a guided tour of the state is perfectly legitimate.

However, done as a covert operation through the agency of unknown NGOs, it has proved to be a disaster.

There is nothing unusual in a government seeking to shape the opinions of a foreign party — be it the media, academics, officials or legislators. This is done through both overt and covert means.

Throughout the world, it is fairly standard fare to use paid lobbyists and invite journalists and other opinion leaders for guided tours. Countries with deeper pockets are not above endowing chairs in universities or funding think tanks.

There has been a great deal of controversy over the reported funding of millions of dollars from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and UAE to US think tanks. Think tanks say that the integrity of their work is not compromised, but there is a pattern in their output to further the interests of the donor countries.

Then there are covert means which can range from simple bribery to “election support” – providing funds for an incumbent’s election, or giving favoured parties business and “consultancy” contracts and so on. Some years ago, the US punished a Kashmiri-American, Ghulam Nabi Fai, for channeling ISI money to members of Congress and presidential candidates.

Being covert, such actions need to be subtle and sophisticated.

“Operation MEP” was neither.

First, the legitimate question raised was how foreign legislators could be permitted to tour the state, when Indian legislators have been prevented from doing so. Indeed, many erstwhile Kashmiri legislators are actually in detention.

Also read: MEP Dropped From Visit Says it Is ‘Affront to Democracy’ that Indian MPs Are Barred from Kashmir

Second, is the question of efficacy.

The opinion of right-wing MEPs, some of them known Islamophobes, is hardly likely to enhance India’s credibility. It is true that the Jammu and Kashmir militancy has gained a dangerous edge of Islamic militancy in recent years. But to look at the problem only through the lens of violent religious extremism would be wrong as Kashmiri separatism has other roots as well.

Members of European Union Parliamentary delegation board a shikara ride at Dal Lake in Srinagar, on October 29. Photo: PTI

Revelations that their tour has probably been funded covertly by the government itself only reinforces the belief that the Modi government acts first and thinks later.

Like many of the other hasty decisions it has taken – demonetisation, for example – it  reveals an alarming level of incompetence.

Also read: European Delegates May Endorse Govt on Kashmir, But Will it Really Help?

The real problem confronting the Modi government is the enormity of its own action in J&K, something which is not easy to defend.

This has become manifestly clear since the August 5 neutering of Article 370 and the demotion of J&K from a state of the Union to a mere Centrally-administered Union Territory. Besides the UN Security Council, the issue has been discussed most recently by a US Congressional panel.

Almost uniformly, the foreign media has been skeptical about official claim that things are normal in the state.

Even US officials who are usually positively inclined towards India have words that could not have been comfortable for New Delhi.

Speaking last week on the eve of the Congressional hearing, Alice Wells, the acting assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia said that the US State Department hoped “to see rapid action — the lifting of restrictions and the release of those detained” in Kashmir. She said that the US was concerned by the widespread detentions of political and business leaders and the restrictions on Kashmir residents.

Members of the European Union parliamentary delegation click pictures as they board a shikara ride at Dal Lake in Srinagar, on October 29. Photo: PTI

So, some geniuses somewhere in Delhi (the MEA has strenuously denied any connection to the event) thought up the idea of parading MEPs known for their right-wing, anti-Islamic views through Kashmir and hoping for the best.

After a conducted tour, which was marred by a total shutdown and the terrorist killing of five labourers, all they had to say at a press conference, limited to select media personnel, was that they supported India’s war on terror.

Also read: ‘Some People Were Kept Away From Us’: MEPs Visit Kashmir Amidst Widespread Protests

Under the circumstances prevailing in the state, there was little point in getting the usual agencies involved. The Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR), the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) or the External Publicity (XP) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs are in the business of promoting Indian policy and have done a good job in the past.

They have experience and bring a professionalism in their approach. But when you get a dubious NGO run by a self-described “business broker,” Madi Sharma, to organise what should have been a sensitive covert operation, you end up with egg on your face, as, indeed, the government has.

Protests in Srinagar over the EU MPs’ visit on October 29. Photo: PTI

The email inviting the MEPs with the promise of a meeting with the PM could not have been sent without official sanction at the highest level. Their costs are being borne by another NGO, the International Institute for Non Aligned Studies (IINAS) whose website links it to one Dr G.N. Srivastava who passed away in 1999. No doubt, some covert agency of the government paid up.

Surely, someone should have thought about the consequences of all this spilling out?

It would perhaps have been best if the government had not made the effort to defend the indefensible.

It is one thing to proclaim normalcy in New Delhi and another to perceive it on the ground in J&K. Far-right they may have been but none of the MEPs were crass enough to make that claim either.

When the official excitement over this visit dissipates, it will be apparent that government restrictions on the entry of people into Kashmir, including members of India’s own parliament, remain firmly in place.

As far as foreign journalists are concerned, the government has already tightened the rules and said they need prior clearance to visit the state, which, incidentally, has never been given. Given these realities, it will take more than a dog and pony show for MEPs to correct the perception that the government has something to hide.

Manoj Joshi is a distinguished fellow of the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi.

MEP Dropped From Visit Says it Is ‘Affront to Democracy’ that Indian MPs Are Barred from Kashmir

Speaking to ‘The Wire’, UK MEP Chris Davies said his invitation was rescinded when he asked for unsupervised conversations with Kashmiri locals during the course of his visit.

New Delhi: The ban on Indian members of parliament from travelling to Kashmir is an “outrageous affront to democracy,” said UK MP Chris Davies, whose invitation to visit Kashmir was rescinded after he insisted on unsupervised meetings with locals.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with a group of 27 Members of European Parliament (MEPs) on Monday, ahead of their journey to Kashmir. This was the first ever visit to the Valley by foreign officials since August 5 when India nullified Jammu and Kashmir’s autonomous status. Kashmir has been off-limits to foreign nationals since then.

India had also imposed a security and communication lockdown on Kashmir — a fact which has been criticised by the United States, the UK and United Nations. Many of the restrictions have been slowly lifted, but there is still a complete ban on internet and data services.

The visit of the MEPs, 22 of whom are from right-wing populist parties, came out of the blue, as it was announced only on Monday afternoon following their meeting with Modi. The European Delegation to India clarified that this was not an “official delegation,” as the MEPs were travelling in their private capacity.

While the MEPs were on a private visit, they met the entire Indian leadership, including Modi, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu and external affairs minister S. Jaishankar.

Also read: European Delegates May Endorse Govt on Kashmir, But Will it Really Help?

The visit kicked off a political maelstrom, with Opposition leaders questioning the ‘red carpet’ access to Kashmir given to foreign parliamentarians, when Indian MPs have been made to return from Srinagar airport.

It has now emerged that while several MEPs had been approached, at least one of them was dropped after he asked for free access to locals in Kashmir.

Liberal Democrat Chris Davies who had his invitation to meet Modi and visit Kashmir rescinded within two days of it having been extended, stated that it was outrageous that Indian MPs cannot visit Kashmir.

“I only heard today that Indian MPs are not being allowed to visit Kashmir. If this is the case it is an outrageous affront to democracy and I am deeply disappointed. India is a great country and we expect better from its government,” he told The Wire.

Opposition leaders, led by Congress’ Rahul Gandhi, were turned away from Srinagar airport on August 24 when they went to visit their detained colleagues. Left leader Sitaram Yechury had to move Supreme Court to be allowed to visit his ailing colleague, who was detained and then eventually transferred to AIIMS in Delhi.

In a separate statement issued to the media, Davies said that he was not “prepared to take part in a PR stunt for the Modi government to pretend that all is well”.

The MEPs in Kashmir on October 29. Photo: PTI

“It is very clear that democratic principles are being subverted in Kashmir, and the world needs to start taking notice,” he said.

Davies also asked whether the Indian government had something to hide. “Why will it not give journalists and visiting politicians free access to speak with local people?”

The senior UK politician added that he represented “thousands of people” in the northwest of England who have family associations with Kashmir and want to speak freely to their relatives. “I fear that this is not going to end well. Governments do not win the hearts and minds of people by taking away their freedoms and imposing military rule. The risk of a violent backlash is all too evident,” he said.

As per an email exchange seen by The Wire, Davies had been contacted by Madi Sharma, director of an NGO named WESTT on October 7.“I am organising a prestigious VIP meeting with the Prime Minister of India, His Excellency Narendra Modi and it is my privilege to offer this invitation to you,” she wrote.

She introduced her organisation, WESTT as one working with the European parliament and NGOs, mainly focused in south Asia on issues related to empowerment of women. Sharma describes herself in her Twitter bio as, “Social Capitalist: International Business Broker , Education Entrepreneur; Speaker You must be the Change you want to see – #NoExcuses #MadiEffect”. The last hashtag is an ostensible reference to her self-published book, Madi No Excuses.

To a question from The Wire, Davies said that he had never heard of the organisers before receiving the email.

The MEPs in Kashmir on October 29. Photo: PTI

“(I have) no idea why I was invited. I have spoken in the European Parliament about Kashmir – and to express concern about the government’s actions,” he said.

Davies was one of 45 UK politicians who had co-signed a letter in August urging the UN Secretary General to discuss developments in Kashmir in the Security Council.

Meanwhile, Sharma wrote that having won a landslide victory in recent elections in India, Modi was planning to continue on his path on growth and development for India.

“In that respect, he would like to meet influential decision makers from the European Union. I am therefore inquiring if you would be interested to visit Delhi, India, to meet with the Prime Minister. The meeting with the Prime Minister is scheduled for 28th October, with a visit to Kashmir on 29th and a press conference on 30th,” said the mail.

She described the visit as that of a “small group of cross party, pan-European politicians on a three-day visit”. It was added that flight and accommodation will be covered and sponsored by the International Institute for Non-Aligned Studies.

After The Wire learned that WESTT and IINS had been involved in the organisation of the trip, questionnaires were sent to both the groups through respective key personnel. Additional reminders were send today, October 29, including the necessity to know how WESTT, an NGO based in the UK, could give the guarantee of a meeting with the Indian prime minister, but there has been no response so far.

“Your participation will be as our VIP guest and not in an official capacity as a delegation of Members of the European Parliament,” Sharma assured in the introductory mail.

Within three hours, Davies had replied to Sharma that he was willing to accept the invitation, but only if he was allowed to speak with locals in Kashmir freely and unsupervised.

“Thank you for your invitation, I am happy to accept, on the condition that during my time in Kashmir I shall be free or go wherever I wish, and talk to whoever I wish, unaccompanied by military, police or security forces, but accompanied by journalists and television crews.

Also read: Kashmir, a Tourism Hub? Numbers Tell a Different Story – Most Tourists Are Pilgrims

Please provide this absolute guarantee in writing, and let us then discuss the timings of the visit,” Davies responded.

Sharma replied that the purpose of the visit “is that you can meet with the Prime Minister and also on the visit to Kashmir meet and speak to people freely”.

Not surprisingly, she pushed back on Davies’ conditions. “Obviously, it is our responsibility to make sure that you are protected, I know you are well aware that armed groups operate in the region so a little security may be necessary but I am sure they will not hinder your work. Do you already know journalists and media in the region or are you planning to bring a team with you?”

She offered to have a face-to-face meeting with Davies to discuss it further.

Davies’ aides then confirmed a meeting on October 10 at 5 pm. Another email followed which said that Davies’ fellow Lib-Dem MEP, Irina Von Wiese would also join the meeting.

Three and half hours before the scheduled meeting on October 10, Sharma cancelled the appointment and withdrew the invitation.

“I apologise that I cannot take any more MEPS at this stage and therefore I will cancel our meeting for Thursday at 17.00. When I return from India I will arrange a suitable time to pass by your offices in the hope that we can arrange a future visit,” she said.

In the end, the organisers had drawn up a list of 32 MEPs, but only 27 landed in Delhi. They were treated to a Diwali dinner, where they posed in front of a banner of International Institute of Non-Aligned States wearing Indian ethnic clothing.

As per its website, the institute was formed in 1980 and has “offices in New York, Geneva, and Vienna to coordinate its work with the UN”. Most of the articles on the website are unsigned and no events seem to have been updated on the page since October 2016.

The latest entry on the institute’s activities web page is an International Conference on “Human Rights Challenges in 21st Century” organised in collaboration of NGOs Coordinating Committee on Human Rights, Geneva on March 5-6, 1998.

The Wire had contacted the deputy director of IINS, Himanshu Sharma on Monday. When told that there were some questions related to the visit of MEPS and INSS’s role, Sharma had said that he would provide details to the director. The queries were also texted to him and he had responded that they had been forwarded to the “concerned person”.

Sharma is also listed as an editor of a publication called New Delhi Times. Several of the visiting MEPs had retweeted a New Delhi Times post of their meeting with the Indian prime minister on their timeline. New Delhi Times, as per its website, is part of the Srivastava group, formed by G.N. Srivastava – who is named as the founder of IINS.

All but one among the five members travelling from the UK are from the Brexit party, which is known for its Euro-sceptic and anti-immigration position. Davis noted that opinion among his MEP colleagues were divided on India’s move to change Kashmir’s status and put restrictions in place. “I assume that most of the MEPs who accepted the invitation are supporters of Indian government policy,” he said.

It is learned that four of the MEPs, who arrived in Delhi, decided not to travel further to Kashmir. However, this was not confirmed by Indian officials.