United States ambassador to India Eric Garcetti on Tuesday defended his counterpart to Islamabad Donald Blome’s recent visit to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, saying that the American delegation had visited Jammu and Kashmir as well, PTI reported.
“We will stay engaged but this is an issue we very religiously know that has to be resolved between India and Pakistan not by any third party including the US,” Garcetti told reporters in Delhi.
Laste week, Blome visited the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir for six days and met local representatives and government officials, The Dawn reported.
Neither the US embassy in Islamabad nor the Pakistan government issued any statements or informed the media about Blome’s visit, according to the newspaper.
Days before his visit to Gilgit-Baltistan, Blome also went to the seaport town of Gwadar where China has invested heavily under its Belt and Road Initiative. Gwadar is located near the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil shipping route in the Arabian Sea, and is being developed under Chinese management.
Kazim Mesum, Opposition leader in Gilgit-Baltistan, said he was alarmed by what he described as “the mysterious activities” of the US ambassador in the region, The Dawn reported.
“There is a set procedure for any country’s ambassador to visit the region,” he added.
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