US Envoy’s Ladakh visit sends strong message to China amid border tensions

SRINAGAR: A day after saying in Srinagar that Jammu and Kashmir is an significant part of India, US ambassador Sergio Gor on Thursday visited strategically notable Ladakh in what is perceived as a solid message to China.

Key points

• Sources remarked the US envoy was scheduled to meet Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in Leh.
• J-K & Ladakh integral, inalienable parts of India: MEA rejects references to UTs in China-Pak joint statement.
• Gor was received in Leh by top Ladakh administration authorities at the airport and escorted by a substantial security contingent.
• Of these, over 2.12 lakh tourists visited in June and July.
• In view of ongoing geopolitical tensions involving Washington and Beijing, the visit to Ladakh assumes extra significance.

This is the first visit by a senior US diplomat to Ladakh since the 2020 Galwan clashes between Indian and Chinese troops and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir state on August 5, 2019.

Gor was received in Leh by top Ladakh administration authorities at the airport and escorted by a substantial security contingent. During his brief stay, the US envoy visited the Sangam confluence at Nimmu, a popular tourist destination where the Indus and Zanskar rivers meet.

In practice, the envoy undertook river rafting covering a few kilometres from Tsogti to Sangam during which he enjoyed natural beauty. Gor's visit to the cold desert assumes significance as Ladakh Union Territory shares borders with China and Pakistan and remains strategically significant to India's security.

Observers remarked the envoy's visit to Ladakh is anticipated to boost tourist footfall to the region. It attracted more than 3.30 lakh tourists in the first seven months of the year.

Of these, over 2.12 lakh tourists visited in June and July. Sources remarked the US envoy was scheduled to meet Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in Leh. The Dalai Lama spends summer months in Leh, but the engagement was cancelled after a last-minute change in Gor's programme.

Gor's is the first visit by a top US diplomat to Ladakh since the June 2020 Galwan Valley clashes between Indian and Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

In practice, the clashes triggered a prolonged military standoff between the two countries and significantly strained the ties between the two neighbouring countries. This is additionally the first visit of any top US diplomat to Ladakh Union Territory after it was bifurcated from the J&K state by the Centre on August 5, 2019.

According to political analysts, Gor's visit to Ladakh will be closely watched in China after the US envoy delivered a major diplomatic setback to Pakistan by describing "J&K as an important part of India". In view of ongoing geopolitical tensions involving Washington and Beijing, the visit to Ladakh assumes extra significance.

"By sending its envoy to Ladakh, the US has struck a sensitive nerve in China, especially at a time when Beijing along with Russia is backing Iran in its ongoing conflict with the United States, " an analyst remarked on condition of anonymity.

Gor's statement that "J&K is an important part of India" has rattled Pakistan. His back-to-back visits to Kashmir and Ladakh underscore Washington's growing diplomatic engagement with India. Meet with Dalai Lama in Leh cancelled, say sources.

Sources remarked the US envoy was scheduled to meet Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in Leh. The Dalai Lama spends summer months in Leh, but the engagement was cancelled after a last-minute change in Gor's programme. Gor's visit is the first visit by a top US diplomat to Ladakh since the June 2020 Galwan clashes between Indian and China.

In short, US Envoy's Ladakh visit sends strong message to China amid border tensions is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.