The United States diplomats based out of Delhi visited Srinagar this week, the provincial capital of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. During the visit, they had multiple meetings, details of which haven’t been given out.
Confirming the visit, the US embassy in Delhi said that the “diplomats from the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi paid an official visit to Srinagar this week”. The statement mentioned, “U.S. diplomats accredited to India regularly visit all parts of the country as part of their efforts to expand cooperation with state and local governments and to develop people-to-people ties.”
The visit comes weeks after the US ambassador to Islamabad visited Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). During his visit in the first week of October, ambassador Donald Blome travelled to Muzaffarabad and referred to the region with Pakistani terminology—”Azad Jammu & Kashmir”.
“The Quaid-e-Azam Memorial Dak Bungalow symbolizes the cultural and historical richness of Pakistan and was famously visited by Jinnah in 1944. I’m honored to visit during my first trip to AJK.” -DB #AmbBlome #PakUSAt75 1/3 pic.twitter.com/KKIEJ17sUo
— U.S. Embassy Islamabad (@usembislamabad) October 2, 2022
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Back then, India had strongly reacted to the visit and conveyed its displeasure with Islamabad. In 2020, the then US ambassador to Delhi Kenneth Juster visited J&K in a visit that saw several other envoys visiting the union territory. The visit was planned by the Indian govt to show the situation on the ground after the removal of special status for the erstwhile state.
The US Embassy in Delhi is yet to have a full-time ambassador even though Eric Garcetti’s name has been nominated by US President Biden.
Garcetti, mayor of Los Angeles needs senate confirmation, something that is still awaited and has been delayed because of the handling of sexual misconduct case in his office.
White House on Thursday said, “We continue to seek the expeditious confirmation of Mayor Garcetti — that is important to this President, a priority to this President — who was voted out of committee with strong bipartisan support to serve as Ambassador to India.”
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