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J&K plays host to G20 working group meet
India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said the tourism working group meeting in Kashmir has had an overwhelming response
India hosted a tourism working group meeting of the G20 in Srinagar on Monday, one of the biggest international events held in Jammu & Kashmir since the nullification of Article 370 in August 2019, and one that served as a reiteration on the global stage of the region being an integral part of the country.
Though China skipped the meeting, delegates and officials from G20 members, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, the UK, the US and the European Union (EU), attended the inaugural events at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre on the banks of Dal Lake.
Some members of the grouping of the world’s largest economies and guest countries invited by India to be part of the G20 process this year, such as Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, were represented by officials from their embassies in New Delhi instead of representatives from the capitals, people familiar with the matter said. Private tour operators also represented some countries, including Turkey, the people added.
India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said the tourism working group meeting in Kashmir has had an overwhelming response. “Normally, in any meeting and event, four to five countries do not come for various reasons... but here in Kashmir, we had an outstanding response. Sixty-one participants from 29 countries, and one country not coming, is a very good response. So, we are looking forward to very positive and fruitful discussions [on Tuesday],” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already said that the recommendations on tourism from the working group will be action-oriented and a lot of this will emerge from the meeting in Kashmir, he said. Some countries are being represented by their private sector, he added.
“Travel and tourism are totally private sector activities, and so travel operators have come from different countries. There are 61 government representatives from different countries. [Some] countries wanted to join in a hybrid way but we wanted physical participation,” he said.
During the meeting, the participants will discuss the “Goa road map for tourism as a vehicle for achievable development goals”, and the G20 ministerial declaration from Monday evening to Wednesday.
Jammu & Kashmir’s lieutenant governor (LG) Manoj Sinha described the event as a “historic opportunity” for the Union territory’s 13 million residents to showcase their culture, heritage and hospitality
India organised G20-related events in Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh to showcase normalcy and development in these areas and to negate territorial claims by other countries. Pakistan has objected to the holding of such meetings in Kashmir, one of the reasons behind China’s decision to boycott the event in Srinagar. China also stayed away from a G20 event in Arunachal Pradesh.
Jitendra Singh, the Union minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office, said the holding of the meeting in Srinagar was an achievement of sorts. He targeted Pakistan for sponsoring terrorism in Kashmir. “I am sure the delegates coming from other places will be able to falsify the kind of narrative that is sought to be created either by certain vested interests or some self-styled cynics or self-righteous commentators. You have seen it yourself or this is an opportunity to see. Jammu & Kashmir has moved on,” he said.
Singh, who is an MP from the Union territory, said the common man wants to be part of the developmental journey as he has seen two generations of Kashmiris sacrificed at the altar of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. “He is no longer in a mood to succumb to that. Let us not forget that the youth of Kashmir are highly aspirational,” he said, adding that the youngsters are forward looking and well informed.
“They (the youth) could see the enormous avenues unfolding across the country under the leadership of PM Modi in the last nine years and don’t want to miss the bus,” Singh said. “Many of you have been frequent visitors here. Whenever there was an event like this or a leader would come from Delhi, you had a hartal call from Islamabad and shops were shut in Lal Chowk. You don’t have that kind of scenario today. That speaks of the transformation that has happened.”
Asked whether the hosting of an event of this scale meant that it is safe to begin some form of political process in Jammu & Kashmir, Singh said: “I don’t know what you mean by that, political process is already going on. We have DDC, BDC, panch and sarpanchs in place. Are they not part of the political process?”
Besides serious discussions, the event witnessed some lighter moments, such as when RRR co-star Ram Charan shook a leg with South Korean ambassador Chang Jae-bok to the tune of the Oscar-winning song “Naatu Naatu”.
Charan attended a side event on “Film tourism for economic growth and cultural preservation” and held a one-on-one conversation with critic Mayank Sharma. “I have been coming to Kashmir since 1986 with my dad. I have shot here in 2017. This place has something magical, it draws people, their attention,” he said.
“No matter what we hear about Kashmir, this is such a surreal feeling when you come to Kashmir. It has been 95 years since the Indian film industry began, it will take another 95 years to explore Kashmir. It is that beautiful… this is a beautiful untapped place and I hope you don’t tap it too much. It is so raw, so gorgeous and so unkempt, so I want this beautiful paradise on earth to remain like this,” Charan said.
A session in the afternoon witnessed the unveiling of the draft for a national strategy on film tourism. There was also a side event on ecotourism, and a panel discussion focused on green tourism, digitalisation, skills, MSMEs and destination management. These priorities are building blocks for accelerating the transition of the tourism sector and achieving the targets under the 2030 sustainable development goals (SDGs).
In the afternoon, some of the foreign guests took a ride in a shikara on the Dal Lake and visited a handicrafts exhibition on the lawns of SKICC. However, a trip to the ski resort of Gulmarg scheduled for Tuesday was cancelled because of security concerns.
The local administration has been in overdrive to ensure security and to give Srinagar a facelift. While the city has been decked up in the G20 colours, the road from Srinagar Airport to SKICC was spruced up, with walls being covered with murals and paintings, and local markets were cleaned up. Even security bunkers were given a new look.
Authorities put in place multi-tier security arrangements to successfully host the first major international event since the abrogation of Article 370. Around the SKICC, marine commandoes and National Security Guard personnel carried out security drills over the last few days. River and lake domination was done by the marine commandos to ensure water bodies around the venue of the meeting are safe. Central Reserve Police Force personnel also conducted mock drills at the lake since Friday.
G Krishen Reddy, the Union tourism minister, said the government decided to organise G20 meetings in all states and union territories. “The security is part of the SOP. Foreign delegates have come to Kashmir after many years, and people are happy and welcoming them. This is sending a message to the entire country. People here are happy as there has been a lot of employment generated in the past two to three years through tourism,” he said.
