Srinagar:
China has opposed holding the G20 meeting in Kashmir, while Turkey and Saudi Arabia have not registered for the event in Srinagar.
On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that “China firmly opposes holding G20 meetings in any form in ‘disputed’ areas and will not attend such meetings.”
India countered the objection by saying that it was free to hold meetings within its territory. It said that peace and tranquility on its border is necessary for normal relations with China.
The third G20 Tourism Working Group meeting will be held in Srinagar on May 22-24 amid tight security in the region.
This is the first major international event in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in 2019 and bifurcation into two union territories.
About 60 delegates from G20 countries are expected to participate in the meeting to be held in Srinagar. Earlier it was expected that more than 100 delegates would participate in the meeting.
The sources say Turkey has decided to stay away from the meeting, and Saudi Arabia has not yet registered for the event.
Srinagar is under unprecedented security cordon. Marine commandos and the National Security Guard (NSG) have been deployed in the area as part of the ground-to-air security cover.
Marines, also known as MARCOS, have taken over the security around Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Center (SKICC), the venue of the G20 meeting, at Dal Lake. NSG commandos are conducting area dominance exercise with police and paramilitary forces. NSG raided Lal Chowk on Thursday.
Paramilitary forces were seen entering and searching the houseboats.
The houseboats are made of wood, including cedar, and have exquisite wood carvings. They represent the culture and age-old tradition of Kashmir.
Officials say the G20 is being held in Srinagar to showcase Kashmir’s tourism potential and send a message to the world that it is an integral part of the country.
The participation of the member countries of the world’s most powerful club is being seen as an endorsement of India’s stand.
Security forces have inputs that terrorists may try to carry out a major attack to disrupt the G20 event. A massive security operation is being carried out to prevent any such attempt. The Army, Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Jammu and Kashmir Police are part of the security grid in the region.