China to skip the G20 meet in Kashmir; Turkey to join suit: Report

China and Turkey will not attend the upcoming G20 meet in Kashmir. China's decision to give the upcoming G20 meeting a skip is based on the objections by its close ally Pakistan. Turkey has criticised the Indian government's handling of the Kashmir issue in the recent past.

China and India have also been engaged in a border conflict since the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, which claimed the lives of 20 Indian Army personnel and at least 38 PLA personnel died by drowning while crossing a fast-flowing river in darkness. The Galwan Valley skirmish was the deadliest confrontation between the Indian Army and the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in over four decades.

India has, however, quashed objections from Pakistan over holding the G20 meeting in Kashmir. Pakistan called India's move to hold the G20 meeting in Kashmir "irresponsible". Pakistan's foreign ministry statement read: "India's irresponsible move is the latest in a series of self-serving measures to perpetuate its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir".

The PM Modi-led Central government has said such events are being organised in all states and union territories ahead of the G20 Summit to be held in September this year in Delhi.

It, however, is unclear whether Indonesia will attend the meeting in Kashmir or not. Indonesia was the president of the G20 last year. Several other countries, both member states as well as guest countries, will have low-level participation in the event, a Hindustan Times report said while citing people aware of the development.

These nations will likely be represented by diplomats from their respective embassies in India, the report further stated.

Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in the Jammu and Kashmir region ahead of the G20 summit due to an increase in terrorist attacks in the state. 10 soldiers and 7 civilians have been killled in four attacks this year so far.

Not only this, Srinagar is also being revamped for the event. Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) commissioner Athar Amin Khan said all projects under the smarty city project have been completed or are nearing completion. The airport road and flyover have been spruced up and the city has also been illuminated.

India will host the G20 summit meeting on tourism from May 22 to May 24 at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) on the banks of the Dal Lake. This will be the first major international event in Kashmir ever since India abrogated Article 370 in 2019.

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