Omar Abdullah meets US diplomats, calls for relook at travel advisories for J&K

National Conference (NC) vice president Omar Abdullah on Monday called for a relook at travel advisories for Jammu and Kashmir to ease restrictions over visiting the union territory. Abdullah raised the issue at a meeting with US diplomats at his residence in Srinagar. "US diplomats called on National Conference Vice President @OmarAbdullah at his Gupkar residence today. The delegation included Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs Graham Mayer, First Secretary Gary Applegarth, and Political Counselor Abhiram," the NC in a post on X.

It said the meeting was also attended by NC MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi and party chief spokesperson and head of communications Tanvir Sadiq. "Discussions covered a wide range of issues pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir and the region in general," the party said.

During the meeting, Abdullah emphasised the importance of relooking at the travel advisories for Jammu and Kashmir with a view to ease restrictions. "He encouraged people from around the world to visit Kashmir and experience its beauty and culture firsthand. He also invited the diplomats to visit Kashmir with their families as a first step to inspire confidence among tourists from the United States and other parts of the world," the NC said.

Several countries have travel advisories in place, asking their citizens to not visit Jammu and Kashmir. In its latest travel advisory issued in July this year, the US government asked its citizens to exercise increased caution in India due to crime and terrorism. "Some areas have increased risk. Do not travel to the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (except the eastern Ladakh region and its capital Leh) due to terrorism and civil unrest," the advisory said.