A six-member delegation led by former Union Finance Minister and Yashwant Sinha Friday arrived in Srinagar to get the firsthand assessment of the situation prevailing in the Valley.
This is the first visit of the group, which besides Sinha, comprises of Wajahat Habibullah, Kapil Kak, Bharat Bhushan and Shoba Bharve, after the Center abrogated special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 and bifurcated the erstwhile state into two union territories on August 5.
After their arrival, Sinha led delegation had a 30-minute meeting with the representatives of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) in Srinagar.
Sources said during the meeting the representatives of the KCCI led by its vice president A M Mir, briefed them about the problems faced by the business community due to the restrictions and snapping of internet services in the Valley.
“We told them about the economic crisis which has engulfed Kashmir valley after August 5. We informed them that traders suffered huge losses and all sectors have been badly hit and Kashmir’s economy was in doldrums. We told them we don’t know how long this problem will continue in Kashmir,” Mir said after the meeting.
During the meeting, the KCCI representatives informed the visiting delegation about the impact of shutdown, restrictions and communication blockade on Kashmir’s economy, sources said.
During their stay in Kashmir, the visiting delegation is scheduled to meet civil society and other people affected by the prevailing situation. They are also scheduled to address a press conference in Srinagar on Sunday.
Earlier in August the group had tried to visit Kashmir, but was sent back from Srinagar Airport by the authorities. A senior official in administration said they have instructions this time to allow the delegation to visit Kashmir.
Contradicting the ‘normalcy’ remarks about Kashmir by Home Minister Amit Shah, the former Union minister Yashwant Sinha, who was not allowed to visit Valley in September Friday said that what Shah claimed is far from truth. He said there are no signs of normalcy in Kashmir Valley.
“Amit Shah’s statement on Kashmir in Parliament was a twisted one and it doesn’t depict reality on Kashmir. The closure of shops in Valley amply makes it clear that all is not well in Kashmir. From Airport to my hotel in Srinagar, I found all the shops except vegetable vendors shut and it speaks volumes about Kashmir situation,” Sinha told Kashmir News Trust.
Sinha who was forced to return from Srinagar airport by the Jammu and Kashmir administration in September, was allowed entry Friday. Along with Sinha, the administration also allowed former bureaucrat Wajahat Habibullah, journalist Bharat Bhushan and civil society activist Kapil Kak and Shobha Bharti to visit Srinagar.
“On way to Srinagar, Kashmir with the Concerned Citizens Group to make an independent assessment of the situation on the ground and the economic loss caused by govt’s action. Hope will be allowed to enter,” Sinha had tweeted earlier in the day.
Sinha said that he is doubtful about the investors visiting Kashmir and investing their money. “No investor will invest his money in these conditions. I don’t think it is a right a place for investment at the moment,” he said adding they will interact with people till November 25 and will make an independent assessment of the situation.
He lamented over the continuous imprisonment of political leaders including three former chief ministers and CPI(M) leader Muhammad Yousuf Tarigami.
The four-member team is on a four-day visit to the state to assess the ground situation in the region after the central government nullified Article 370, which gave the erstwhile state special powers.
The visiting members of the Concerned Citizens’ Group plan to return on November 25 and release their report on the ground situation in the region, the former Union minister said.
Wajahat Habibullah, another member of the group said that he was concerned about the liberties that have been snatched from the people of Kashmir.
“My concern at the moment is the denial of democratic liberties to the people of Kashmir,” he said adding that his all efforts so for to reach out to people of Kashmir have been unsuccessful.
The central government on August 5 announced its decision to nullify Article 370 and also brought in a law to bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir into Union territories. Rajya Sabha gave its nod on the same day, while Lok Sabha followed suit the next day. (With in puts from KNT)