SAARC will make India Vishwaguru, not G20, says Mehbooba Mufti

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) G20 meeting could be a "good publicity exercise" at the international level, but holding the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit and discussing the Valley's issues is what would actually help India become a "Vishwaguru".

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief spoke about the preparations for the G20 tourism meeting in Srinagar from May 22 to 24. SAARC summits have not been held since 2014 amid strained relations between India and Pakistan.

“We don't live near Australia, America or Japan, which are members of the G20. We live in this region and SAARC solves the problems of this region and if the government takes the initiative and organizes a summit of SAARC countries and solves the problems that this region is facing including what is happening in Pakistan,” Mufti said.

She said the Center must understand that the way to become a 'Vishwaguru' is through SAARC and not through the G20. The G20 will be the first international meeting to be held in Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370.

Mufti claimed that the G20 meeting has become a BJP meeting as even the logo has been replaced with a lotus, which is the party's symbol. “It can be a kind of good publicity for the party itself and as far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, especially in the Valley, you have seen the way the crackdowns are going on…” she said.

SAARC consists of eight member countries including India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Talking about the Congress' victory in the Karnataka assembly elections, she said she paid tribute to the people of the southern state for showing wisdom and voting on unemployment, inflation and other issues.She said that to save the country, it is necessary to save the country's democracy and constitution for which every political party must drop their differences and come together.