SRINAGAR: A day after meeting Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar, US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, arrived in Ladakh Thursday on his maiden visit to the Union Territory, where he went sightseeing and rafting. There were also reports that he was likely to meet the Dalai Lama, who is currently in Ladakh, during his two-day trip, but there was no confirmation about this from anyone.Shortly after landing, Gor went sightseeing in Leh and later participated in river rafting, covering several kilometres from Tsogti to Sangam, the confluence of Indus and Zanskar rivers.Officials said the US envoy’s team had approached for a meeting with Ladakh Lt-governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, but he was in New Delhi.They also said they had no idea whether Gor was meeting the Dalai Lama on Friday morning. The 91-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader has been recuperating in Ladakh since June 28 following a medical procedure on his left knee in New Delhi.This is the first visit by a top US diplomat to Ladakh since it was carved out as a UT from the former state of J&K in Aug 2019, and the Galwan clash between Indian and Chinese troops in June 2020 that led to a prolonged military standoff between the two countries in the region.Gor is also US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for South and Central Asia, and his visit to the two UTs bordering China and Pakistan is being seen as a message to the two countries.In Srinagar, Gor’s remark describing Kashmir as an important part of India drew a sharp reaction from Pakistan, which summoned the US embassy’s charge d’affaires in Islamabad and lodged a “strong demarche” over what it termed a “factually incorrect statement”.
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He also talked of US considering reviewing its security advisory for J&K.Asked about Pakistan’s reaction to Gor’s remarks, the J&K CM Thursday said: “This is a matter between Pakistan and America. Neither you nor I can do anything about it.”On Congress’s criticism that there was no need to hear from the US that Kashmir was an important part of India, Omar said, “They have a point of view and they are entitled to it. I am not going to get into a war of words over this.”
