Srinagar, Aug 19: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said he would meet US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor during his visit to Jammu and Kashmir, but would not raise the region’s internal grievances with the American diplomat, maintaining that their resolution rests with New Delhi.
Speaking to reporters ahead of his scheduled meeting with Gor, Omar said he would discuss Jammu and Kashmir and the situation in the region with the visiting envoy, but did not intend to approach him with complaints or seek solutions from Washington.
“It is not my nature to complain,” Omar said, indicating that he would rather hear what the US envoy had to say during their interaction.
He said he would prefer to listen to Gor during the meeting, while also acknowledging that the envoy was visiting to listen to people and officials in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Chief Minister questioned the need to take up Jammu and Kashmir’s internal matters with a foreign government when the authority to address them rests with New Delhi.
“Why should I raise our problems with a third country? It is New Delhi that has to find solutions to our problems,” he said.
Omar’s remarks came as Sergio Gor, the US Ambassador to India and Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, arrived in Jammu and Kashmir on his first visit to the region. Gor is scheduled to meet both Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah during his stay in Srinagar.
The US envoy’s visit covers Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and is his first such visit since assuming office. He is expected to travel to Ladakh after his Srinagar engagements. [KNT]
