Govt should have allowed opposition MPs to visit Kashmir before EU MPs: Mayawati

Lucknow: The government should have allowed opposition party MPs to visit Jammu and Kashmir before sending EU MPs to assess the situation in the Valley,

BSP chief Mayawati said on Tuesday. A delegation of 23 MPs from the European Union reached Srinagar on Tuesday for a two-day visit during which they will be briefed on the situation by government officials and also meet a cross-section of locals. "...before sending EU MPs to Kashmir to assess the current situation there, it would have been better if the government had allowed the MPs of (our) country, especially opposition parties, to go there," Mayawati tweeted in Hindi.

A joint delegation of opposition MPs, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, was not allowed to go beyond the Srinagar airport after their arrival from Delhi and were sent back to the national capital about two months ago.

This is the first time since August 5 when Jammu and Kashmir's special status was revoked that India has allowed a foreign delegation to visit Kashmir. The Central government has also announced the decision to bifurcate the state into the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.