By Muhammad Ali
G20 Summit 2023 The G20 leaders had previously announced in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in November 2020 that India would host the high-profile grouping’s summit in 2023, with a one-year delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Consequently, India officially assumed the presidency of the G20 from December 2022. Jammu and Kashmir has been chosen to host some of the G20 meetings.
The G20 is an economic and political alliance comprising the 19 leading economies of the world, including developing and industrialized nations, and the European Union. These countries make up 80% of the global GDP, 75% of global trade, and 60% of the global population. Argentina, India, Canada, Australia, Germany, Russia, South Korea, South Africa, Indonesia, China, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, France, Saudi Arabia, Italy, United Kingdom, and the United States are the G20 member countries.
Prime Minister Modi has been representing India at G20 summits since 2014. This year’s summit will be held in Bali, Indonesia, while the 2019 summit was held in Osaka, Japan. The choice of venue for G20 summits is typically in scenic resort locations, and Kashmir fits the bill. Kashmir will be hosting one of the largest multilateral events in 2023 under India’s presidency. The G20 will hold a total of 190 meetings across India, some of which will be held in Jammu and Kashmir. The government has formed a special five-member committee to oversee the process, which will be chaired by the secretary of Kashmir’s Housing and Urban Development department. The other four members will be from the departments of tourism, culture, transport, and hospitality.
Pakistan’s Objections Pakistan has opposed In-dia’s role as a G20 host and has raised objections to the plan. A statement was released by the Pakistani Foreign Office saying, “India’s irresponsible move is the latest in a series of self-serving measures to perpetuate its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir in sheer disregard of the UN Security Council resolutions and in violation of the principles of the UN Charter and international law. Pakistan vehemently condemns these moves”.
Holding of any G20-related meeting or event in J&K, in utter disregard of the globally acknowledged disputed status of the territory, is a travesty that the international community cannot accept under any circumstances. Pakistan has appealed to the global community to call upon India to uphold the rights of the Kashmiri people and oppose human rights violations in the Kashmir valley. India has been oppressing Kashmiri women, children, and men through its massive deployment of it forces’ personnel working under the draconian law of the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act, 1990. The human rights situation has worsened following the revocation of Kashmir’s special status.
Jammu and Kashmir: A Disputed Territory China has also expressed objections to India’s plans to hold the G20 leaders’ meeting in Jammu and Kashmir. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that “China’s position on Kashmir is consistent and clear-cut. It is a legacy issue between India and Pakistan. It should be properly resolved in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions and bilateral agreements.”
As part of its diplomatic offensive, Pakistan is currently appealing to its close allies, such as Saudi Arabia, China, and Turkey, to convey its apprehen-sions. It will also communicate with the UK and the US, along with other G20 members, to thwart India’s plans.
Many Muslim nations have backed Pakistan on the Jammu and Kashmir issue, and the BJP’s anti-Muslim policies since it came to power have trig-gered formal diplomatic protests from several Mus-lim countries. India wants the world community to acknowledge its control and even “sovereignty” over the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir by organizing this event. The inclusion of Jammu and Kashmir in this crucial international conference might also be portrayed as a diplomatic win for India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is expected to increase its domestic support. Many believe that it would be imprudent to hold the 2023 G20 summit in the disputed region between India and Pakistan because of the ongoing freedom struggle in Kashmir. However, if the G20 leaders agree to India’s attempt to organize the meeting in the disputed region, Modi will consider it a diplomatic win.
[Muhammad Ali, a writer with a passion for po-litical commentary and analysis, is currently studying at NDU/ intern at KIIR.]
