India plans to hold G-20 Summit in IIOJK next year to bolster its normalcy claims

Jammu, June 24 (ONLINE): : In order to befool the comity of nations about normalcy in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the Indian government is planning to organize the 2023 meetings of G-20 in the occupied territory.

G-20 is an influential grouping that brings together the world’s major economies, with the authorities in IIOJK setting up a five-member high-level committee for overall coordination.

This will be the first major international summit to be held in the occupied territory after the erstwhile state’s special status guaranteed under Article 370 of the Constitution was withdrawn and it was bifurcated into two territories in August 2019.

In September last year, Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal was appointed as India’s Sherpa for the G20. The Ministry of External Affairs had said that India will hold the G20 presidency from December 1, 2022, and will convene the G20 leaders’ summit in 2023 for the first time.

According to an official order, the IIOJK’s housing and urban development department principal secretary will be the chairman of the committee which was formed in response to a June 4 communication from India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

“Sanction is hereby accorded to the constitution of a committee…for overall co-ordination of G-20 meetings to be held in J&K,”the order issued by Principal Secretary, General Administration Department, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi said. The members of the committee include Commissioner Secretary (Transport), Administrative Secretary (Tourism), Administrative Secretary (Hospitality and Protocol) and Administrative Secretary (Culture).

“Further, principal secretary to the government, housing and urban development department is also nominated as nodal officer to coordinate the arrangements for G-20 meetings in the Union Territory of J&K,” the order said.
G20 brings together 19 of the world’ leading economies and the European Union, with its members accounting for more than 80 per cent of global GDP, 75 percent of global trade and 60 percent of the global population, according to the MEA.

The G20 member nations are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States.