Srinagar: A delegation of EU Parliamentarians, who visited Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, described themselves as “friends of India who fully support the country in its efforts for lasting peace and end of terror.”
On Wednesday, the 23-member delegation interacted with the media and condemned the killing of five migrant labourers from West Bengal by militants in Kashmir’s Kulgam district.
“If we talk about Article 370, it is India’s internal matter. What concerns us is terrorism which is a global menace and we should stand with India in fighting it. There was an unfortunate incident of the killing of five innocent labourers by terrorists. We condemn it,” lawmaker Henri Malosse from France told media.
A member of the Rassemblement National Party in France Thierry Mariani said the visit was not to interfere in India’s internal matter but to get a first-hand knowledge of the real situation in Kashmir.
“Terrorists can destroy a country. I have been to Afghanistan and Syria and I have seen what terrorism has done. We stand with India in its fight against terrorism,” he said.
Newton Dunn from United Kingdom described the visit as an “eye-opener”.
“We belong to a place Europe which is peaceful after years of fighting. And we want to see India becoming the most peaceful country in the world. And for that we need to stand by India in its fight against global terrorism. This visit has been an eye-opener and we would definitely advocate what we have seen on ground zero,” Dunn said.
The EU Parliamentarian from Poland Ryszard Czarnecki said the international media coverage on Kashmir was biased.
“Once we go back to our countries, we will inform everyone of what we saw. It is a different situation out there,” he said.
