‘Each of us had an opportunity to ask our most critical questions’

NEW DELHI: Germany’s ambassador to India, Walter Lindner, spoke to

on his impressions during the two-day trip to Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) organized by the Government of India for 25 global ambassadors earlier this week. In August, the Centre revoked the special status of J&K and decided to split the state into two Union territories —J&K and Ladakh. Edited excerpts:

Sundarji Padma Rao You just returned from a trip to India’s newest Union Territory (UT), J&K, organized by the Government of India to counter global criticism of some administrative and security measures it took there. Your fellow travellers tweeted pictures of the snow-capped Pir Panjal and of shikara rides on the lakes of Srinagar. Did you enjoy yourself ?

Nice joke. But let me make this clear. This was not some tourist trip. I was invited by India’s ministry of external affairs (MEA). I went to interact with local authorities, members of civil society and the business community and gather an impression of the situation there. And that’s what I did.

What did your itinerary consist of?

On the way from the airport to the hotel, we got our first little glimpse of what’s out there. The shops were open, things seemed normal. We didn’t see a ‘lockdown’. But it’s difficult to say for sure, because we were in a high security convoy, so it’s not the same as strolling through a market. Baramulla fell through because of fog so we were taken for the shikara rides on the lakes instead. Then, we had our first meeting with some local politicians, apple farmers, hoteliers, local media members and a swathe of members of civil society from border dwellers to rights activists. Of course, all these people may have been preselected. But each of us had an opportunity to ask everyone even our most critical questions.

What were your critical questions?

How they feel about the current situation, about Article 370 being abrogated, what they think of the previous governments in J&K, what their main worries are, and so on. And we questioned the authorities too, for instance the army corps commander, Lt. Gen KJS Dhillon, who is an impressive person and told us about incursions and terrorist attacks along the Line of Control (LOC). We flew to Jammu, where we met informed people like the chief secretary, and the UT’S first woman judge and chief justice, Gita Mittal, who explained India’s laws in an international context very impressively.

Everyone we met explained how the situation was before and after the abrogation of Article 370, which laws were valid then and now. They gave us concrete figures. We also met Kashmiri Pandits and Valmikis.

The international media is criticizing the house arrest that two former chief ministers of J&K [Ombar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, who were detained the Public Safety Act last week] have been under for six months, the snapping of communication, and other moves. India points to its democratic credentials and retorts that the international community has no say in domestic decisions in its own UT. What do you think of these decisions?

Look, you will have to ask the government of India all these questions. Am I satisfied with this trip? I will say that I wanted to go there, see the state with my own eyes, get an impression of the situation, see who is in charge. I could do all that and ask questions about all those under arrest and why they are in jail. And I could listen to the Indian authorities’ arguments. Please note: as an ambassador, it is important to be objective. I am not an activist and I am not a member of a party.

Does all this mean that you had a positive, informative trip and got a fair idea of the situation on the ground?

As I told you, I didn’t pre-select the people we met. Because I couldn’t talk to everyone, it could, at best, be a limited impression. But in political parlance, I can say that the trip to J&K was not a Potemkin village, an external facade to make people believe that all is hunky-dory.

Former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti are under house arrest. Did you ask why?

Yes. But the discussions took place behind closed doors so let’s leave it at that.