The envoys would first be taken to Srinagar and then later to Jammu. (Representational)
Envoys of several countries, including the US, will be part of a 16-member delegation which will undertake a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir beginning today. A notable exception would be countries from the European Union. The envoys from the European Union said they did not want a "guided tour" of Jammu and Kashmir, sources from Europe had told NDTV.
Parliamentarians from the European Union had visited Jammu and Kashmir in October; three months after the centre had scrapped provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution and splitting the state into two Union Territories. This time however, the envoys said it was too short a notice to visit, according to government sources.
The countries which will take part in the visit this time include the US, Vietnam, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Guyana, Nigeria, Niger, Argentina Philippines, Norway, Morocco, Maldives, Fiji, Togo, Bangladesh and Peru.
The envoys would first be taken to Srinagar and then later to Jammu to meet the Union Territory's Lieutenant Governor GC Murmu and other officials.
"In Srinagar they would be taken to Badami Bagh where army would be briefed about security situation and then they would be meeting some civil society people including kashmir based journalists too," a senior government functionary told NDTV.
Diplomats from Australia and several Gulf nations, who were expected to go, have dropped out due to what they called "scheduling" reasons.
The confinement of Kashmir's political leaders and the ban on internet, which have run into the sixth month, are among the restrictions that have raised concerns abroad. Several nations and the US House of Representatives have referred to the matter.
It is to allay these concerns that the government arranged for this new two-day visit, home ministry sources told NDTV.