Jaishankar to attend G20 meet amid Pakistan, China protests against India holding summit in J&K

India plans to hold some of the events in J&K so that foreign leaders who would come for the summit can also visit the Union Territory

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will next week attend a meeting of the foreign ministers of the G20 nations in Indonesia amid protests by China and Pakistan over India’s plan to host some of the events related with the 2023 summit of the bloc in Jammu and Kashmir.

India is likely to reject the objections raised by Pakistan and China over its move to hold some of the G20 events in J&K. It will however also clarify to other G20 nations that the main events of the 2023 summit will take place in its national capital, a source told DH on Saturday.

Jaishankar’s Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi will host the meeting of the G20 foreign ministers on July 7 and 8. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is likely to attend the summit.

"J&K is an integral part of India and the Government of India reserves its right to hold any event in any part of the country,: the source added.

Indonesia currently holds the rotating presidency of the G20 and will pass it on to India on December 1 after Joko Widodo, the president of the Southeast Asian nation, hosts the 2022 summit.

Read | Holding G20 summit in J&K can be a major diplomatic victory for India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host the 2023 G20 summit, tentatively in October or November next year.

The main events of the 2023 G20 summit are proposed to be held in Delhi and construction works are now going on to give Pragati Maidan in the national capital a facelift and to turn it into the venue for the conclave.

India, however, also has plans to hold some of the events in J&K so that the foreign leaders, who would come for the summit, could also visit the Union Territory.

Pakistan opposed India's plan as it perceived it as a move by the Centre to assert its claim on J&K as an integral part of its territory and reject Pakistan’s claim on it before the international community.

China too echoed its “iron brother” Pakistan. A spokesperson of the Chinese Government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told journalists in Beijing that the dispute between India and Pakistan over J&K should be resolved according to the United Nations charter and no side should take unilateral moves that might complicate the situation.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is likely to travel to Bali next week to attend the G20 meeting, which will set the stage for the summit of the bloc this year. India has not yet confirmed or denied the possibility of a bilateral meeting between Jaishankar and Wang on the sideline of the conclave.

The Modi Government had in August 2019 stripped the erstwhile state of J&K of its special status and reorganised it into two Union Territories.

Pakistan, supported by China and Turkey, had then launched a campaign, making a renewed attempt to internationalise its dispute with India over J&K.

India had blocked all attempts by Pakistan and China to bring the issue of J&K back on the formal agenda of the United Nations Security Council.