Former Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik visits Kashmir, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Omar Abdullah asks why

New Delhi:

The visit of a former Norwegian Prime Minister to the Kashmir Valley and his meetings with Hurriyat leaders sparked controversy. Kjell Magne Bondevik – invited through Sri Sri Ravi Shankar – met with the leaders of the Hurriyat Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Shah Gilani last week. He is currently in occupied Kashmir by Pakistan and met with his "president" Masood Khan in Muzaffarabad.

Norway has a long history of resolving the conflict and Bondevik played a key role in resolving the conflict with the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka.

India regards Kashmir as a bilateral issue, and for more than five years, the government has not allowed any foreign emissaries to visit the Kashmir valley or meet a separatist leader.

Mr. Bondevik's visit on both sides of the border. The checkpoint comes a few days after the green light of the Kartarpur corridor, which will give Sikh pilgrims from India access to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan. Sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Embbady told NDTV that they were in no way involved in Bondevik's visit.

Earlier in the day, Omar Abdullah tweeted, "What are the Norwegians doing in Kashmir, does @SushmaSwaraj ji or Doval ji want to place the visit of the former Norwegian Prime Minister in both camps? the state divided in the proper context or should we rely on rumors and conjectures? "

On November 23, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq tweeted photos of the meeting. Believing that Norway was playing a "constructive role in resolving conflicts around the world," they urged Bondevik to help resolve the conflict.

Successful meeting of the JRL with Mr. Kjell Magne Bondevik, former Prime Minister of Norway. As Norway is known to play a constructive role in resolving conflicts around the world, it urged Mr Bondevik to help end the daily killings and the urgent resolution of the dispute in Kashmir . (@MirwaizKashmir) 23 November 2018

In a statement, Mr. Hurriyat stated that the Norwegian delegation badured the separatist leaders that they "would use their good offices to ensure a sustained dialogue and focused on the results between India and Pakistan "For an" amicable solution "on Kashmir, reported the press agency Press Trust of India.