JAMMU, Jun 23: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is currently touring Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh as head of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, on Tuesday, said the delegation’s visit was progressing well and that its members would draw conclusions only after completing their tour of the Union Territory.
Addressing reporters, Tharoor said the 10-member delegation has so far visited only the Suchetgarh border in Jammu and reviewed the functioning of the passport office and Passport Seva Kendra.
“We are now heading to Srinagar, where we will have discussions with the Lieutenant Governor and the Chief Minister. After that, we go to Kargil the day after tomorrow and Leh the following day. We will decide on what to write only after observing everything,” he added.
Yesterday, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs visited Jammu as part of its ongoing engagements in the Union Territory.
After a visit to the Regional Passport office in Jammu and the Passport Seva Kendra, Tharoor took to X to post, “They seem to be functioning smoothly.”
“Had a detailed meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs in Jammu this morning, reviewing the work of the Regional Passport Office (RPO) and the Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs). We asked some tough and probing questions about passport issuance to their representatives and to those of the Police, CID and Postal Department. Some of the unconscionable delays in processing, police verification and issuance of passports were flagged and discussed. Improvements have been promised,” Tharoor’s X post read.
The Congress MP also said they took a look at the pharmacy that served for 20 years as the clinic where the local MP Jitendra Singh practised before becoming a Union Minister. “It’s in a corner of the same building. A welcome reminder that for most MPs, there’s real life before and after politics!” he said.
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Tharoor, who is leading the 10-member parliamentary panel had reached Jammu on Sunday (June 21) evening. He took to X to post on the same day about his meeting with Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at Lok Bhavan in Srinagar.
“We discussed the situation in the state and the encouraging progress towards normalcy. When I arrived he was chatting to the President of the Kashmiri Writers’ Association and the Women’s Organisation — a positive outreach that I welcomed. Many challenges remain and much remains to be done, but I left the meeting feeling more positives than I have felt for a while,” said the Congress MP.
On Monday, Tharoor clarified that the visiting Parliamentary committee is focused on studying three matters, including Indo-Pak relations, Sino-Indian relations, and the functioning of passport offices and Passport Seva Kendras.
Addressing reporters here yesterday, Tharoor said that the committee will not look into the domestic issues in Jammu, as it is an “External Affairs Committee.”
“I have only talked about calling on the Governor. I have not had a chance to see other things or listen to other people’s voices. I want to make it very clear that this is not a visit about assessing the conditions in the Kashmir Valley. The committee is here to study three issues: Indo-Pak relations, Sino-Indian relations, and the functioning of passport offices and passport seva kendras. These are the only issues we are studying. We are not here to look at domestic matters; that is not our mandate. We are the External Affairs Committee,” he said.
Addressing reporters, committee chairperson Tharoor also praised the role of Border Security Force (BSF) personnel in safeguarding the country and said that every citizen should have the opportunity to witness their work in the border areas.
“What the BSF soldiers do for our country, keeping us safe, is truly commendable. I believe everyone should witness this firsthand. Every Indian citizen should take the opportunity to visit the border and see the work our soldiers are doing. It was a wonderful experience.” (Agencies)
