EU envoys turn down India's invitation, say 'don’t want a guided tour’ of IoK

• EU envoys also insisted on meeting region's leaders including ex-CMs Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, who are still under detention.

Envoys from the European Union (EU) turned down India's invitation to visit occupied Jammu and Kashmir saying that they do not want a 'guided tour' of the region.

Sixteen envoys from the US, Latin America and Africa will be coming to IoK on a two-day visit, where they will meet civil society members and be briefed on the security situation there. However, EU envoys including Australia, Afghanistan and Gulf countries, who were also invited, have turned down the invitation saying that they will visit the the valley on a separate date, Indian media reported.

The EU envoys have also insisted on meeting leaders of the region including former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, who are still under detention.

This will be the first visit by the 16-member delegation five months after Article 370 was revoked by Government of India. In October, a delegation of 23 EU MPs visited Kashmir to access the ground situation there.