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India strongly objects to US Ambassador Donald Blome's three-day visit to PoK

The US envoy's travel to PoK coincides with efforts by the Biden administration to engage Pakistan following the Donald Trump administration's isolation of Islamabad over allegations that it was not sincere in combating terrorism.

India strongly objects to US Ambassador Donald Blome's three-day visit to PoK AJR
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First Published Oct 7, 2022, 5:44 PM IST

India on Friday said that it had conveyed its objection to the United States about the US ambassador in Pakistan's recent visit to the Pakistani side of Kashmir that India considers its own.

Addressing the press conference, Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "Our objection to the visit and meetings in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir by the US ambassador to Pakistan has been conveyed to the US side."

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Recently, Donald Blome, the United States' representative to Pakistan, visited Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). What is not believed to sit well with India is that Blome repeatedly referred to PoK as AJK (Azad Kashmir, the contentious term used by Pakistan to refer to the area) during his tour there. 

It can be seen that India does not appreciate references to the area as Azad Kashmir since it views Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, or PoK, as its own. According to New Delhi, Pakistan forcibly occupied the area in 1947.

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The Indian ministry of external affairs criticised US Congresswoman Ilham Omar's trip to PoK in April of this year and referred to her as a proponent of "narrow-minded politics."

Omar attempted to incite India during her visit to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) by raising the topic of the Narendra Modi administration's repeal of Article 370 and claims of human rights abuses in Jammu and Kashmir.

It should be noted that the US envoy was in PoK on an official visit as part of initiatives to repair the region's historical and cultural landmarks and to draw attention to American aid provided to Pakistan in the wake of the 2005 earthquake and the most recent, devastating floods.

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The US envoy's travel to PoK coincides with efforts by the Biden administration to engage Pakistan following the Donald Trump administration's isolation of Islamabad over allegations that it was not sincere in combating terrorism.

In response to the US effort to patch things up with Pakistan, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stated that "the relationship between the US and Islamabad will neither serve the interests of America nor of Pakistan."

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