G20 delegates tour Srinagar city in a bid to see ‘changed Kashmir situation’

From the famous Mughal Gardens to the popular Royal Spring Golf Course to the all-pedestrian Polo View Market in commercial hub Lal Chowk, the G20 foreign delegates were allowed to have the flavour of the Srinagar on Wednesday.

From the famous Mughal Gardens to the popular Royal Spring Golf Course to the all-pedestrian Polo View Market in commercial hub Lal Chowk, the foreign delegates, who attended the third G20 tourism working group meeting in Srinagar, were allowed to have the flavour of the city on Wednesday, in a bid by the authorities to showcase the “changing ground situation” in Kashmir.

Around 60 foreign delegates from 27 countries started a city tour after a yoga session in the morning. They visited the famous Mughal gardens on the Dal Lake, including Mughal Prince Dara Shikoh-constructed Pari Mahal. Several delegates teed off on the lush green fairways of the Royal Spring Golf Course at the foothills of the Zabarwan hills. The delegates were seen taking selfies at these gardens.

“It was a fantastic and memorable visit. I love being in Srinagar. I hope people come and enjoy scenic beauty and the film tourism prosper in Kashmir,” Chang Jae-Bok, South Korean Ambassador to India, said.  

The delegates also toured Lal Chowk where they shopped Kashmir crafts at Polo View market, a glitzy all-pedestrian market opened recently under the Srinagar Smart City Project. No part of Srinagar witnessed any shutdown during the G20 meet, unlike the past trend. However, several local shopkeepers alleged they were “advised by the police against closing their shops during the three-day meet”.

Meanwhile, a delegate from Mexico praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts and “active role in the G20 summit”. “We attended the meetings and the side events, and also met members of the local chambers here. G20 is a top priority for Mexico,” he said.

The delegates were seen shopping local crafts from the shopkeepers at the Polo View market, which was set up by former Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Bakshi Ghulam Muhammad in the 1950s and refurbished by the Lieutenant Governor’s administration this year.

“Shopping our way through the best of J&K’s famed agricultural produce and GI artisanal crafts; even bumped into a merlion. Must visit!” said Simon Wong, High Commissioner of Singapore to India, in a tweet.