New Delhi: US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Wednesday visited Srinagar and met Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, becoming only the fifth serving US ambassador to India to make a confirmed visit to Srinagar in the past three decades. His visit comes amid a renewed political push in Jammu and Kashmir for restoration of statehood.
Gor, who is also the US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, described Jammu and Kashmir as an “important part of India” after meeting Abdullah. He also indicated that Washington would review its travel advisory for the Union Territory. The visit is Gor’s first to Jammu and Kashmir since taking charge as US ambassador earlier this year.
Gor’s visit comes days after Abdullah renewed the demand for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood in his Independence Day address on 15 August. Abdullah said statehood should be restored to strengthen federalism and reiterated his government’s commitment to the demand.
The visit also carries significance because of the limited history of US ambassadorial travel to Srinagar.
Since 1996, only five serving US ambassadors to India have made confirmed visits to the city: Frank Wisner, Robert Blackwill, Timothy Roemer, Kenneth Juster and now Gor. There have been six confirmed ambassadorial visits during this period because Juster travelled to Srinagar twice.
Wisner visited Kashmir in August 1996, when the Valley was in the midst of militancy and political uncertainty. Contemporary records show that the US ambassador arrived in Kashmir to meet political leaders.
Blackwill visited Srinagar in December 2002. Contemporary reporting from Srinagar said the US ambassador arrived in Kashmir accompanied by senior US Embassy officials. His visit included briefings on the security situation and the Line of Control.
Timothy Roemer travelled to Jammu and Kashmir in March 2011 and met then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Roemer’s engagement was notable because he declined to meet separatist leaders.
Kenneth Juster made a standalone visit to Srinagar in August 2018, when he met Omar Abdullah at his residence.
Juster returned to Jammu and Kashmir in January 2020 as part of a delegation of foreign envoys organised by the Ministry of External Affairs after the abrogation of Article 370. The delegation visited Srinagar and met political, civil society and other representatives.
Juster’s January 2020 visit therefore represents the sixth confirmed visit to Srinagar by a serving US ambassador during the period, while Gor becomes the fifth ambassador to make such a visit.
Gor’s visit is consequently the first standalone visit by a serving US ambassador to Jammu and Kashmir since Juster’s August 2018 trip.
The political context surrounding Gor’s visit is particularly significant. Abdullah has made restoration of statehood a central demand of his government, and the issue has gained renewed prominence in recent weeks.
Ahead of his meeting with Gor, Abdullah said he would not raise Jammu and Kashmir’s internal political issues with the US envoy, stressing that such matters had to be resolved by the Centre in New Delhi rather than Washington.
Gor’s description of Jammu and Kashmir as an “important part of India” came after his meeting with Abdullah and during his first visit to the region as ambassador. The remarks provide an explicit articulation of Washington’s position on the territorial status of Jammu and Kashmir at a time when the region’s elected government is pressing New Delhi for restoration of statehood.
