China and Turkey have decided to skip the upcoming G20 meeting in Srinagar. China is not participating due to objections raised by its ally Pakistan, while Turkey has slammed the Indian government for handling the Kashmir issue in recent times.
The G20 summit on tourism will be held on 22, 24 May at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) on the banks of the Dal Lake. This is the first major event to be held in the valley since India abrogated Article 370 in 2019.
China and India, both nations, have been engaged in border conflict since the Galwan Valley clash in 2020, in this incident, 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives, and at least 38 PLA personnel perished by drowning while they were trying to cross a fast-flowing river in darkness.
The Galwan Valley brawl was one of the deadliest quarrels between the armies of two nations in more than four decades.
However, India has overruled Pakistan’s objections to holding the G20 summit in Kashmir. The decision by India to host the G20 summit in Kashmir was deemed “irresponsible” by Pakistan. Pakistan’s foreign ministry stated that “India’s irresponsible move is the latest in a series of self-serving measures to achieve its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir”.
PM Modi-led Central government has stated that such activities are being planned in all states and union territories ahead of the G20 Summit, which will take place in Delhi in September of this year.
However, Indonesia’s participation in the summit in Kashmir, remains uncertain. Last year, Indonesia presided over the G20.
Meanwhile, ahead of the G-20 summit, security has been beefed up in the Jammu and Kashmir region to prevent any untoward incidents in the state. This year, 10 soldiers and 7 civilians have been killed so far.
