NEW DELHI : Indian opposition leaders including former Congress president Rahul Gandhi were barred from leaving the airport on Saturday in Kashmir, where local authorities had warned that their visit could stoke heightened tension in the region.
The Jammu and Kashmir government said late on Friday political leaders had been asked not to visit Srinagar as the administration works to restore order after weeks of protests against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Aug. 5 decision to withdraw autonomy for the state.
Rejecting the warning, the delegation of opposition leaders from parties including Congress, the Communist Party and the All India Trinamool Congress said they wanted to assess the situation in the valley, and flew from New Delhi on Saturday.
“If the situation is normal then why is the government restricting us from entering the valley. On the one hand the government says that things are normal and on the other they impose entry restrictions, why so many contradictions?” senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad told reporters before departing.
When their plane arrived in Srinagar, the politicians were not allowed to leave the airport and were sent back within a few hours.
Earlier in the day, senior officials told Reuters the administration in Kashmir had booked a return flight to New Delhi for the opposition leaders to prevent them from leaving the airport.
Tension remains high in Kashmir, with security forces using tear gas against stone-throwing protesters in Srinagar on Friday, after a third straight week of protests in the restive Soura district despite the imposition of tight restrictions.
The valley has been under lockdown since Modi’s decision to withdraw special rights for the Muslim-majority state.
It was the second time that senior opposition figures were denied entry to the state since the prime minister’s Aug. 5 announcement. Communist party leaders were stopped at the Srinagar airport during their first visit.
Indian opposition leaders denied entry to Kashmir, sent back from airport
Indian opposition leaders denied entry to Kashmir, sent back from airport
- Delegation of opposition leaders from Congress, Communist Party, All India Trinamool Congress said they wanted to assess situation in Kashmir
- If things are normal why is government restricting us from entering the valley, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said
Türkiye says ready to help restore Pakistan-Afghanistan ceasefire amid continuing clashes
- President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made the mediation offer during a phone call to PM Shehbaz Sharif
- They also discussed the ongoing Middle East conflict, called for restraint to prevent further escalation
ISLAMABAD: Türkiye is ready to help restore a ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan amid fierce clashes between the two neighboring states, according to a statement released by the authorities in Ankara on Tuesday after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over telephone.
The call came as Pakistani security officials reported heavy cross-border firing with Afghan forces in the Bazaar Zakhakhel area of Khyber district, highlighting the fragility of relations between the two countries.
Türkiye previously mediated talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan last year after major border skirmishes in October prompted Islamabad to close all crossing points for bilateral and transit trade.
Pakistan has frequently blamed Afghanistan for sheltering anti-Pakistan militant groups such as the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and facilitating their cross-border attacks. Islamabad has said it targeted militant hideouts on the Afghan side of the frontier last month after repeatedly taking up the issue with the administration in Kabul.
The Afghan Taliban, who have always denied Islamabad’s charges, launched what Pakistan called “unprovoked aggression” in support of militant entities.
“Türkiye will continue to stand by Pakistan in its fight against terrorism and contribute to the re-establishment of the ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan reached through Türkiye’s initiatives,” Erdoğan said during the call, according to a statement from the Turkish presidency.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar earlier released figures related to his country’s military campaign against Afghanistan, saying 464 Taliban fighters had been killed since the beginning of the war and over 665 were injured.
He said Pakistani security forces had destroyed 188 Afghan check posts and captured 31. Additionally, they had targeted 56 locations across Afghanistan in aerial strikes.
According to Prime Minister Sharif’s social media message on X, he also discussed the escalating situation in the Middle East and apprised President Erdoğan of his country’s outreach to the Gulf leadership to reaffirm “Pakistan’s full solidarity with them.”
“We agreed that maximum restraint by all parties is imperative to prevent further escalation,” he added. “We also exchanged views on recent developments in Afghanistan and resolved to remain in close and frequent contact in our shared pursuit of peace and stability in the region.”
