Seeking to defend the controversial Kashmir concert organised by the German embassy in Srinagar earlier this month against charges that it was not open to all, German ambassador to India Michael Steiner said on Monday that the event was not a “peace concert” and that “no Woodstock was possible.”
At the same time, he maintained that common Kashmiris attended the concert by the Bavarian State Orchestra. Mr Steiner, who was speaking to reporters on Monday, also conceded that a “security issue was involved and that was the priority.”
Mr Steiner observed, “No way could we do a sort of Woodstock event given the Kashmir situation is as it is”. He also admitted that there was a security issue that was involved in organising the concert.
As for the criticism levelled against the concert by separatist leader S.A.S. Geelani saying the concert legitimised Indian occupation of Kashmir, the German envoy said, “we did not legitimise anything because it was not a state event.”
“There were no national anthems, there were no high ranking representatives from Delhi there,” said Mr Steiner. Stating that the German President wanted to give the concert patronage, Mr Steiner said this was not done as “we didn’t want to politicise it.” Fact is Mr Geelani in his life had never so much international attendance.
The envoy also said that the concert had “brought Kashmir back on the agenda”. The aim was merely to show Kashmir’s beauty as well as its reality, no more than that,” said Mr Steiner.