A group of European parliamentarians who recently visited Kashmir were on a “private visit” to the country. Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha the Government of J&K 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 October 28, 2019, to November 1, 2019, at the invitation of the International Institute for Nonaligned Studies, a Delhi-based think tank,” Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.
He also informed the House that an Indian delegation of MPs was not allowed to visit Kashmir due to security concerns. Opposition parties had attacked the Government over the EU delegation's tour of Kashmir after Indian politicians and MPs were not allowed to travel to the Valley after abrogation of J&K's special status on August 5.
Reddy was responding to a set of questions that sought to know which institution organised and bore the expenses of this Kashmir tour, and whether the institution that organised it was working as a coordinating institution for the central Government.
In another reply, Reddy said that only 609 people were behind bars, 151 more from the 458 of 2018. The Minister said total 5, 5161 preventive arrests were made including stone pelters, separatists and some political leaders. He said that only 609 people were behind bars, 151 more from the 458 of 2018 and there was a false propaganda about J&K's situation. Taking a dig at the Congress, Reddy referred to the cases of detention in Kashmir saying the Government took the decisions in the interest of the country but during Emergency, 36 MPs were booked to “save the chair of one person”. Replying to a supplementary during Question Hour, he said the decision to detain leaders such as former J&K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah was taken to maintain law and order.
“In the country's interest, different people were arrested at different time. During Emergency, you arrested 36 MPs to save one person's chair .We are working in the interest of the nation and its law and order,” he said in response to a query on how long the government will prevent Abdullah from attending Lok Sabha.
In a separate reply, the minister said such visits or exchanges promote “deeper” people-to-people contact.