Omar Abdullah on Pakistan-US row over J&K: ‘Matter between those two countries, neither you nor I can do anything'

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on 20 August that Pakistan summoning US Chargé d'Affaires Natalie Baker after US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor's remarks is a matter between the two countries, said here on Thursday.

Pakistan on 19 August summoned the US chargé d'affaires and lodged a "strong demarche" over remarks by Gor regarding Jammu and Kashmir during his visit to the Union territory.

Gor said Jammu and Kashmir is an important part of India and that US will reconsider the advisories on travel to the place as central government and Abdullah have taken steps to make it a safer place.

"That (the demarche) is a matter between Pakistan and the US. Neither you nor I can do anything about it. Whatever the US Ambassador (to India) said, he has said it. It is now between those two countries," Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar on Thursday when asked about Pakistan's protest.

‘I am not getting into this’

The chief minister also refused to be drawn into the war of words with his alliance partner Congress, which said there should not be a third-party intervention on Jammu and Kashmir as it is an integral part of India.

"I am not getting into this. Congress has their point of view; they are a political party, the largest opposition party. They have a point of view and are entitled to it. I am not going to get into a war of words over this. What can I say on that?" he said.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said the US Charge d'Affaires in Islamabad was summoned and a strong protest was lodged over what it called factually incorrect remarks by Gor regarding the status of Jammu and Kashmir during his visit to the region.

Pakistan dismissed Gor's description of Jammu and Kashmir as a "part of India", alleging that the region is an internationally recognised “disputed” territory whose final status should be determined in accordance with relevant UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

The ministry said the ambassador's remarks were inconsistent with what it described as the longstanding US position on the Kashmir “dispute” and Washington's stated commitment to international law and the UN Charter

While referring to US President Donald Trump's offer to mediate between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir issue after Operation Sindoor, the ministry urged Washington to ensure that its public statements reflected what it described as the “disputed” status of Jammu and Kashmir.

“The U.S. Charge d' Affaires in Islamabad was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today and a strong demarche was lodged over the factually incorrect remarks of U.S. Ambassador to India, regarding the status of Jammu and Kashmir,” the ministry said in a statement.

(With agency inputs)