Tharoor clarifies J&K committee not assessing situation

A parliamentary committee's visit to Jammu and Kashmir has sparked a political controversy after its chairman, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, made remarks about "encouraging progress towards normalcy" in the region. Tharoor later clarified that the committee's mandate is strictly limited to external affairs and passport services, not domestic assessments.

Tharoor, who chairs the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, met with Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in Srinagar on Sunday, June 21. Following the meeting, Tharoor posted on social media that they had discussed "the situation in the state and the encouraging progress towards normalcy." He noted the Lieutenant Governor's engagement with representatives of the Kashmiri Writers Association and a women's organization, calling it a "positive outreach."

These comments drew immediate criticism from Tharoor's own party in Jammu and Kashmir. Ravinder Sharma, chief spokesperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee, publicly expressed disappointment, stating that the people of Kashmir had expected Tharoor to meet them to understand ground realities. Sharma suggested Tharoor should have met...