'American Delegation Was In J&K During G20 As Well': Garcetti On US Pak Envoy's Visit To PoK

US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti responded to the row over the US envoy to Pakistan visiting PoK as he emphasised that the border issues between both nations would be resolved only bilaterally.

File Photo of US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti

Source : Getty

As a US envoy's recent visit to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) sparked a controversy, US Ambassador to India Etic Garcetti said that an American delegation had visited Jammu and Kashmir as well for the G20 meetings. Garcetti was asked about US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome's six-day visit to PoK last week to which he said, "It's not my place to react to the US Ambassador in Pakistan but he's been before and we obviously had part of our delegation in Jammu and Kashmir during G20 as well."

Garcetti was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the 20th Indo-US Economic Summit where he made it clear that the Jammu and Kashmir issue has to be resolved bilaterally by India and Pakistan only and not by any other third party which includes the US, reported news agency PTI. Garcetti said, "We'll stay engaged but this is an issue we very religiously know that has to be resolved between India and Pakistan, not by any third party including the US."

PTI cited reports from Pakistani media as informing that the US Ambassador to Pakistan not only visited the Gilgit-Baltistan region of PoK but also interacted with the locals there.

When Garcetti was asked about the standing ovation given to a Nazi war veteran in the Canadian Parliament, he responded by saying, "I think everybody recognises the mistake." He refused to comment on the US sharing intelligence on the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. "It's not my place to speak on another country, Canada. As a matter of business not just this, we don't talk about intelligence or criminal justice matters," he remarked.

Garcetti further told the media that India had extended an invitation to US President Joe Biden to visit New Delhi on Republic Day as the chief guest, however, he added that the schedule for the same hasn't been confirmed yet. He said, "There is an invitation that has been extended. Schedule not confirmed yet."