G20 meet in Occupied Kashmir: India’s failed attempt to promote the “integral part” narrative

• Since the abrogation of article 370 and 35A, hosting G20 in Kashmir was India’s first major attempt to promote the occupied land as its integral part.

• While China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia had skipped the event from the word go, Oman and Egypt also joined the troika, making G20 in Kashmir a failed affair.

Indian authorities have “successfully” hosted the 3-day G20 meet in Occupied Kashmir, as per the statements issued by most mainstream media channels and newspapers, which are quoting different leaders from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The renovation work in Srinagar, the capital city of Jammu and Kashmir had started nearly 3 months before the mega event. Several infrastructural projects were undertaken by the central government to give a major facelift to the trouble-torn region. 

Many delegates visited the newly constructed hotspots in the city and the world-famous Dal Lake in the heart of Srinagar during the 3-day visit that began on 22^nd May and ended on 24^th May. Some of them took time to enjoy a ‘shikara ride’ (boating), besides taking selfies and photographs during the sunset with lofty peaks of Himalaya, laden with fresh snow glittering in the background. The delegates spoke highly of the tourism potential in the valley and its historical architecture. 

While the mainstream media in India and abroad were busy in lime lighting the details of the event, they left a lot to convey to the people that followed the G20 meet from different parts of the world. Since the abrogation of articles 370 and 35A in India-Occupied Kashmir, India has been hell-bent on pushing the “integral part” narrative through its mainstream media, and hosting the G20 in Kashmir was just another desperate attempt to legalise its unconstitutional move in the occupied territory on August 5, 2019.

The first major setback for India was the absence of China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, who refused to take part in the event. While China clearly stated the reason for skipping the meet, citing the “disputed” nature of the host city, Turkey and Saudi Arabia boycotted the event without mentioning the reason. Later, Egypt and Oman, who were supposed to join the event as special invitees also skipped the meet to make matters worse for the Indian authorities. Indonesia also decided to only send a representative from New Delhi. 

The lack of participation from Kashmiri people in the event was always expected, but what shocked the Indian administration was the complete absence of entire population from the roads, akin to zombie apocalypse. The shops remained closed even as India tried hard to present a pretty picture of the war-torn region. Although not a single separatist leader had called for strike, the self-observed curfew by 10 million people has sent shockwaves to the New Delhi. 

Another key aspect was the presence of thousands of Indian troops on the either side of the roads, enroute to the hotel where the members of the delegation stayed. A tight security arrangement was kept in place by the law enforcement agencies which included route planning to avoid any disruption. Despite trying hard to cover up the men in uniform behind the shields, it was impossible to wipe off hundreds of army camps after every hundred-meter dash. With dozens of vehicles from the security forces accompanying them, the members of the delegation would certainly leave the valley with more questions than answers. 

The true picture of Kashmir may not be painted by the mainstream media, but hiding facts in this day and age is a tedious task despite a blanket ban on the local media. Some of the developments observed by the locals during last few days have been momentous to say the least and social media has played a key role to spread the word. The fact that the shopkeepers in the commercial hub known as Lal Chowk were asked to keep the shops open, or face cancellation of licences, speaks volumes about the insecurity of the Indian political leadership that is fighting hard to keep Kashmir. 

An event like G20 calls for an equal participation of people from different facets of life and hosting such an event by subjugating a certain minority surely does not promote the mantra of One Earth, One Family, One future.