Reports of EU diplomats not being part of a delegation visiting J-K due to restrictions in the program are ”unfounded and mischievous”, said the Government, adding that the envoys will undertake the trip at a later date.

Earlier it was reported that certain European envoys were not keen on a ‘guided tour’ of J-K and rather wanted to meet the people they wanted to interact with.

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Sources quoted by media reports stated that the Government wanted to take a global group of envoys to J-K with only some EU Ambassadors and not all envoys of the European Union were asked to join.

On the EU ambassadors’ trip to the Valley being postponed to a later date, the government further clarified that the envoys wanted to visit Kashmir as a group, which was not possible to accommodate due to restrictions in numbers and to keep the group broad-based.

Some EU Ambassadors, according to the government sources, conveyed that the visit was taking place at short notice to seek instructions from the headquarters.

“The group was free to interact with people subject to security considerations. In any case, no envoy had specifically asked to meet anyone who was detained. It was therefore decided that a group of EU ambassadors will undertake a trip to J-K at a later date,” it added.

Meanwhile, India is taking over 15 foreign envoys based in New Delhi to Jammu and Kashmir on January 9-10 to see the first-hand efforts being made by the Government in the region.

The diplomats will meet civil society members and will be briefed on the security situation in the newly-formed Union Territory.

The envoys belong to the US, Vietnam, South Korea, Brazil, Uzbekistan, Niger, Nigeria, Morroco, Guyana, Argentina, the Philippines, Norway, Maldives, Fiji, Togo, Bangladesh and Peru.

This is said to be the first time New Delhi is inviting official representatives of foreign governments to visit Srinagar since the Parliament revoked Article 370.

Earlier in October last, a delegation of Members of European Parliament (MEPs) had reached Jammu and Kashmir to assess the situation on ground even as sporadic incidents of violence were reported from the Valley following the abrogation of Article 370.