US envoy Sergio Gor calls J&K ‘important part of India’, signals travel advisory review

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, during his first visit to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), described the Union Territory as an “important part of India” and indicated that Washington could reconsider its travel advisory for the region.

Gor made the remarks in Srinagar on Wednesday, during a visit that comes amid heightened attention to security and tourism in Jammu and Kashmir. He is also scheduled to travel to Ladakh.

US may reconsider travel warning for J&K

The US State Department currently places Jammu and Kashmir, except eastern Ladakh and Leh, under a Level 4 “Do not travel” advisory. The warning cites terrorism and civil unrest and specifically flags tourist destinations including Srinagar, Gulmarg and Pahalgam.

Gor's comments on the advisory came after concerns were raised about its impact on Kashmir's tourism sector. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti had urged the envoy to reconsider the highest-level warning.

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“For Kashmir, where thousands of families depend on tourism, the travel advisory on Kashmir is more than a warning, it is a wall between Kashmir and the world,” Mufti said in a post on X.

Gor calls J&K an ‘important part of India’

The US envoy's description of Jammu and Kashmir as an “important part of India” comes against the backdrop of the region's longstanding dispute between India and Pakistan.

Gor's visit is his first to Jammu and Kashmir since taking charge as US ambassador to India and President Donald Trump's Special Envoy for South and Central Asia. It follows heightened tensions after the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.

Omar Abdullah rules out complaining to US envoy

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said he would discuss issues concerning the Union Territory with Gor but would not use the meeting to raise complaints about India.

“It has never been my habit to lodge complaints about my country to an ambassador of another country. The resolution to our issues will not come from Washington; the resolution to our problems lies with our central government,” Abdullah told reporters, according to PTI.

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He said he expected the meeting to be a conversation in which both sides would listen.

Gor's visit comes as India and the US continue cooperation on areas including counter-terrorism, border security, narcotics control and law enforcement.