India raises concerns with US over its ambassador’s visit to PoK

NEW DELHI: India on Thursday said it has raised its concerns with the US over its envoy’s visit to Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and called for respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.

MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi said India’s stand on the entire Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir being an integral part of India is well known.

“We would urge the international community to respect our sovereignty and territorial integrity. We have raised our concerns about the visit of the US ambassador to Pakistan with his country (US side),” he told reporters.


US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome recently paid a six-day visit to Gilgit-Baltistan during which he visited different areas and met local representatives and Gilgit-Baltistan government officials also.

On Canada, when asked who will ensure that Canadian visas, especially for students, are issued once staff is downsized by two-thirds, Bagchi said, “It is up to the Canadian side who they staff their missions with. Our concern is with parity in diplomatic presence.”

“Given the much higher diplomatic presence of Canadian diplomats and their continuing interference in our internal affairs, we have sought parity in respective diplomatic presence,” he added.