US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's ongoing visit to Pakistan has not been sponsored by the US government, a top State Department official has said, hours after India condemned her visit to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, saying her travel to the region violated its territorial integrity and reflected her "narrow-minded" politics.

The Somali-origin Congresswoman from Minnesota was flown to the Line of Control (LoC) in the Chakothi sector, where she was briefed on the situation before and after the fresh understanding between the Armies of Pakistan and India to respect the 2003 ceasefire agreement, according to official sources in Islamabad.

US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news conference on Thursday, "As I understand it, Representative Omar is not visiting Pakistan on US government-sponsored travel." At a media briefing in New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had criticised Omar for visiting the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

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India condemns US Congresswoman's visit to PoK, calls her 'narrow-minded'

"We have noted that US Representative Ilhan Omar has visited a part of the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir that is currently illegally occupied by Pakistan. "If such a politician wishes to practice her narrow-minded politics at home, that may be her business. But violating our territorial integrity and sovereignty in its pursuit makes it ours. This visit is condemnable, the spokesperson said on Thursday.

Omar is currently on a four-day visit to Pakistan. In Islamabad, she met President Arif Alvi, new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and ousted prime minister Imran Khan and others. She also met president of PoK Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry and discussed the Kashmir issue.

India and Pakistan signed a ceasefire agreement in 2003, but it has hardly been followed in letter and spirit over the past several years with more violations than observance of the pact. In February last year, the two countries issued a joint statement in which they agreed to strictly observe all agreements on ceasefire along the LoC and other sectors.

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(Edited by : Asmita Pant)

First Published:Apr 22, 2022 4:44 PM IST