Same people likely to meet them who met previous team of envoys
Srinagar: A group of around 25 envoys mostly from European Union will visit start their visit from Baramulla on February 12 before arriving in Srinagar for overnight stay.
The group has significance as it comes at a time ahead of vote on the resolution on Jammu and Kashmir that was discussed in EU Parliament last month.
The two day visit of the envoys which is likely to begin on February 12 is being conducted by Army as were the two previous visits of two foreign delegations that visited Jammu and Kashmir to assess the ground situation post abrogation of article 370 and 35A of Indian constitution and bifurcation of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir State into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
These envoys are likely to visit Baramulla district headquarters where various delegations will meet them. The Army and administration have already sent messages to various delegations that are meeting the envoys. The delegations include fruit growers, traders and civil society groups.
The envoys who will arrive in Srinagar around noon will be flown in a chopper to Baramulla. They will return to Srinagar and are scheduled have lunch in Srinagar hotel.
They will meet some delegations including the political leaders, mostly those who met the envoys delegation last month. They include group of former legislators headed by former Minister Altaf Bukhari. Some civil society groups and traders are also meeting the delegation.
The delegation is likely to take Shikara ride in Dal Lake like the previous delegations that visited Kashmir since August 5.
A group of journalists will also meet the envoys and they are mostly those who met the envoys’ delegations last month.
This is the second envoys’ delegation that is visiting Kashmir this year. Earlier on January 9, envoys of 15 nations including the United States of America visited Jammu and Kashmir for on the spot assessment of situation. Besides US, the envoys from South Korea, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Guyana, Argentina, Norway, Philippines, Maldives, Togo, Fiji, Peru, Bangladesh and Vietnam were part of the delegation who were invited by the Ministry of External Affairs.
Last year in October, a group of EU Parliamentarians, mostly right wingers, visited Kashmir to assess the ground situation. They were also briefed by army, administration and they also met several delegations who presented their view point on situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
