With G20 event, India seeks to project normalcy in disputed Kashmir

By AIJAZ HUSSAIN
Associated Press

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — As India prepares to host a meeting of tourism officials from the Group of 20 in the disputed region of Kashmir, authorities have deployed elite commandos and stepped up security in the region’s largest city. The meeting will be the first significant international event in Kashmir since New Delhi stripped the region of semi-autonomy in 2019, and India’s government is hoping the meeting will show that the controversial changes have brought “peace and prosperity” to the region. On a recent Wednesday, gun-toting naval commandos in rubber boats mingled with tourists in canary-yellow gondolas. Regional rivals Pakistan and China, as well as a UN human rights expert, have criticized the decision to host the meeting in Kashmir.