New Delhi: The UN’s Military Observers Group on Kashmir in India’s capital has been asked to vacate its office premises by the government. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Syed Akbaruddin told reporters on Tuesday that the UNMOGIP “has outlived its relevanceâ€, adding that the stance was articulated many times before.
The UN Military Observers Group on India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) was set up in 1949 to monitor the Kashmir ceasefire line. A UN spokesman said the group will continue to discharge its mandate. “The Mission is currently conducting a market survey to assess costs and identify possible alternative locations,†Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
According to reports, the Indian government has asked UNMOGIP to hand over the Delhi premises from where it was running a liaison office for more than four decades for free as part of efforts to rationalise the mission’s presence in India. The small UN mission has its main offices in the Srinagar.
UNMOGIP said it had received the request in May when India was in the midst of an election that the BJP led by Narendra Modi eventually won. No reasons were given for vacating the office, Major Nicolas Diaz, in charge of the Delhi office, said.
The military authorities of India have lodged no complaints since January 1972 and have restricted the activities of the UN observers on the Indian side of the Line of Control. They have, however, continued to provide accommodation, transport and other facilities to the observers.
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