- Thursday, February 27, 2025
The ambassador also reiterated Washington’s position on the Kashmir issue, asserting that it is a bilateral issue that should be resolved through a dialogue between India and Pakistan.
By: Shubham Ghosh
US AMBASSADOR to India Eric Garcetti has made the headlines after comparing the visit by an American delegation to Jammu and Kashmir during the recent G20 meetings with his US counterpart in Pakistan making a trip to Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 20th Indo-US Economic Summit in New Delhi on Tuesday (26), the envoy said while it is not his place to react to US ambassador to Pakistan David Blome, he added that the American diplomat in Pakistan had done it before and American delegates had been to Jammu and Kashmir during the G20.
‘It’s not my place to react to the US Ambassador in Pakistan but he’s been before and we obviously had part of our delegation in Jammu and Kashmir during the G20 as well,” Garcetti, who took over as a full-fledged US ambassador to India in May this year after the post remained vacant for more than two years, said.
The ambassador also reiterated Washington’s position on the Kashmir issue, asserting that it is a bilateral issue that should be resolved through a dialogue between the two south Asian neighbours — India and Pakistan.
“This is an issue that has to be resolved between India and Pakistan and not by a third party, including the US,” he said.
Garcetti’s remarks come after Blome recently made a private visit to Gilgit-Baltistan, a region that India considers a part of undivided Jammu and Kashmir and illegally occupied by Pakistan.
The two countries have fought more than one war over Kashmir since their Independence in August 1947 while cross-border terror remains a major irritant in their relationships.
Blome reportedly went to various recreational centres during his visit to the controversial region and inspected ongoing United Nations Development Programme projects. He also met leaders and members of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly.
In October last year, the US diplomat visited PoK when he went to Muzaffarabad and met the prime minister of PoK Tanveer Ilyas.
In April 2022, US lawmaker Ilhan Omar was criticised by India after the Democratic politician visited PoK. The US had said that it was a “personal, unofficial” visit and did not represent the US administration.
