India has surely won against Pakistan’s propaganda war without firing a single bullet.
There was no IED blast, no grenade attack, no shooting from guns, protest demonstrations or stone pelting.
The conference, which was attended by official delegations from 17 of the 20 G20 nations— China stayed away while Saudi Arabia and Turkey sent private business representatives—was held in the face of a myriad of uncertainties.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Zardari implored the world leaders to stay away from the conference as it, he argued, was being held in a “disputed territory”. They referred to the UNSC resolutions of 1948-49, seeking a resolution to the Kashmir problem through ‘plebiscite’. Zardari, during his visit for SCO meeting in Goa earlier, went to the extent of threatening that if India went ahead with the conference in Srinagar, Pakistan would come up with a response which “will be remembered for a long time.”
Now that the three-day rendezvous has ended peacefully, with near-total attendance and without a single incident of violence or protest, it is being widely seen as India’s remarkable diplomatic achievement over Kashmir and a slap on the face of the Pakistani establishment.
Kashmir hosting the G20 Tourism Working Committee meeting was the biggest international event organised in Kashmir since India scrapped its special status in 2019. What could be a better place for holding this meeting than Srinagar, where Emperor Jehangir exclaimed, “Gar firdaus bar-rue zamin ast, hami asto, hamin ast” (If there is a heaven on earth, it’s here, it’s here. Over 60 delegates from G20 member countries attended the event).
The Indian government and several sections of the media have been calling the G20 event in Kashmir “historic”, billing it as an opportunity to showcase the region's culture. Government claimed that the meeting would boost the local economy, saying that only “permanent peace” could achieve that.
Side events on ‘Film Tourism for Economic growth and Cultural Preservation’, were organised during the event. Under India’s G20 Tourism Track, the Tourism Working Group is working on five inter-connected priority areas, which are Green Tourism; Digitalisation; Skills; MSMEs and Destination. These priorities are key building blocks for accelerating the transition of the tourism sector and achieve the targets for 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
Last week, Fernand de Varennes, the UN's special rapporteur on minority issues, had issued a statement saying that the G20 was “unwittingly providing a veneer of support to a facade of normalcy” when human rights violations, political persecution and illegal arrests were escalating in Kashmir. The statement was criticised by India's permanent mission at the UN on Twitter.
India aimed at showcasing the cultural heritage of Kashmir and promoting its tourism potential during the meeting. Delegates were taken on sightseeing tours.
There are also plans to promote Ecotourism as a vehicle to achieve ‘Sustainable Development Goal' which will explore effective strategies, best practices, and synergy between the public and private sectors to accelerate efforts towards sustainable development goals.
After the conclusion of the event, the delegates also visited the Art and Craft Bazaar organised by the State Government showcasing local handicrafts, work of artisans, signifying the importance of community participation. The Delegates also had ‘hands-on’ experience through DIY Activities at the Craft Bazaar.
The Ministry of Tourism is also promoting local products of Jammu and Kashmir by handing below souvenirs to Delegates from ODOP. Paper Mache Box, saffron from Pampore (Kashmir is referred as the ‘saffron capital of India’); Kawa cups and brass spoon; walnuts are from Anantnag, Shopian and Kupwara - Walnuts of Kashmir, are popular across India and even exported around the world.
The foreign delegates gleefully visited the market areas in Srinagar, without any fear or inhibition. Nothing could be better placed as the G20, includes the world's 19 wealthiest nations plus the European Union, accounting for 85% of global economic output and two-thirds of its population. Such exposure, therefore, may give a tremendous boost to the development of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and rest of India as well. This is a big change from the earlier times when Kashmir had become synonymous with strife and bloodshed.
There was of course some criticism by the opposition and some segments of locals due to heavy security ‘bandobast’ due to obvious reasons when Kashmir has been under the grips of terrorists since 1989. In order to give proper security cover, the area of meetings had to be properly sanitised and protected; it is done on every occasion and everywhere.
The videos uploaded by Kashmiri YouTubers also show that the locals are happy with the foreign delegates coming there and are hoping for a transformation of the local economy. This is very good news for India and bad news for Pakistan, which is more interested in thwarting development to happen in Jammu and Kashmir.
Now going ahead, Centre must bring democratic process back in Jammu and Kashmir by conducting free and fair elections, without any attempts to manipulate the elections and government formation process, because undue interference from Delhi over a period of 50 years, has been the major cause of discord for Kashmiris.