NEW DELHI: Mirpur-born Shaffaq Mohammed, a member of UK’s Liberal Democrats, was among the MEPs who moved an anti-CAA resolution for their Renew Europe Group which is the third largest bloc in the European parliament with 108 MEPs. Mirpur is a town in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

Shaffaq has repeatedly said Kashmiris must have their right to self-determination and appealed to the EU, after India revoked J&K’s special status, to “secure the rights of the Kashmiri people and play its role for security and stability of the region’’.

Shaffaq was quoted as having said on Monday that not just Renew Europe but other political groups were also deeply concerned about the violence in many cities in India, the loss of lives and injuries and added that Europe’s parliament “wanted to send a clear message” to India about the “discriminatory” Act.

However, Shaffaq doesn’t seem to have unlimited influence with his group as evident from the fact that it’s not Renew Europe which links CAA with India’s actions in Kashmir in its resolution. It’s the Group of the European United Left-Nordic Green Left which calls for EU and its members to promote implementation of UNSC resolutions on Kashmir. Many in India will see this as speaking Pakistan’s language on the Kashmir issue.

Also, far more damaging than Renew Group’s resolution was the one by Greens/European Free Alliance which strongly criticised the private visit of a group of MEPs to J&K and its use “to legitimise PM Modi’s nationalist agenda”.