This is the first visit of any top US diplomat to Ladakh after the region was carved out as a separate union territory in 2019 and a subsequent protracted standoff between the Indian Army and Chinese PLA following clashes at Galwan in June 2020.
US ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, began his two-day Ladakh tour with some “sightseeing” – away from cameras in the Himalayan region.
Gor, who is also US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy to South and Central Asia, met Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
In a big shout-out to India’s stated position on Jammu and Kashmir, the US ambassador called Kashmir “an important part of India”. The statement rattled Pakistan and summoned the US Charge d’Affaires in Islamabad and lodged a “strong demarche” over what Pakistan called “factually incorrect remarks”. “We had a very warm meeting, and we look forward to building on our relationship,” Gor told the media with Abdullah standing by his side.
