The central government would conduct one of the G20 meetings in Jammu & Kashmir’s Srinagar in 2023 which advocates for the return of peace and security in the Union Territory. India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1. During its presidency, India will host more than 200 meetings in more than 50 cities across 32 different workstreams. The G20 is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s 20 major developed and developing economies, making it the premier forum for international economic cooperation. The top event of the G20 leader’s summit is slated to be held in the national capital on September 9 and 10, 2023, while 200 other events will take place in different parts of the country.
From 1990 to 2019, Pakistan and its agents in Kashmir made every attempt to thwart any national or international event held in the Valley, but after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, the situation changed as the separatists and terrorists who used to hold Kashmir hostage on special occasions have been taken to task. Till August 5, 2019, the separatists sponsored by Pakistan used to disrupt events planned by the government in Kashmir. When Article 370 of the Indian Constitution was scrapped in 2019, security forces and the investigating agencies were directed to launch a final assault against terrorists and their supporters in the valley. As per the reports, the two factions of Hurriyat Conference — one headed by Hurriyat hawk, late Syed Ali Shah Geelani and another by Hurriyat moderate Mirwaiz Umar Farooq — have ceased to exist.
The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, Jamaat-e-Islami and other parties, known for propagating separatism and sedition, were banned after the Pulwama terror attack of February 14, 2019, that left 40 paramilitary CRPF men dead. The security forces have also tightened the noose around absconding terrorists who used to throw grenades, attack state establishments and kill innocents. Another factor which can be credited for the selection of Srinagar as a venue for G20 meeting is the footfall of around 1.62 crore tourists to the Union Territory in the last 11 months, which is the highest since Independence. The people of Kashmir responding positively to change in J-K’s status quo encouraged New Delhi to expedite the development process in the Union Territory.
The projects that were in limbo for the past many years have been completed and the foundations of many new projects have been laid. It is pertinent to mention that where the scheduled G20 meeting in Srinagar is a big victory for India, it is a major setback for Pakistan as G20 comprises the world’s largest advanced and emerging economies, representing about two-thirds of the world’s population, 85 per cent of global gross domestic product, 80 per cent of global investment and over 75 per cent of global trade. Pakistan had reacted sharply to the announcement of the G20 meet in Srinagar, which was eventually ignored by the participants. The delegates would then visit various tourists destination here, including the Dal Lake, Nishat Bagh, Shalimar Bagh, Pahalgam and Gulmarg, and would also experience the culinary delights of the Himalayan range.
The objective of the meeting is to ensure that the visiting delegates experience the “Real Kashmir” that has emerged as one of the fastest-growing regions of the country in three years. The Higher Education Department will conduct seminars on G20 in the universities and educational institutions across Jammu & Kashmir to make the students aware of the summit’s importance. (ANI)
