SRINAGAR: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday expressed readiness to interact with US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor in Kashmir, emphasising that regional governance matters remain strictly a domestic concern and asserted that he will speak to him about the union territory.
Discussing the approach toward the high-profile diplomatic visit, Omar Abdullah said, “After a long time, a US Ambassador is visiting Jammu & Kashmir. We will speak with him. I would like to hear him.”
Setting definitive parameters for upcoming interactions with the US Ambassador to India, the Jammu and Kashmir CM maintained that external entities hold no jurisdiction over local affairs.
“Our problems are not his concern. It is not my habit to complain about our issues to the ambassador of another country. Our problems will not be resolved by Washington but by our own government. I will speak to him about Jammu & Kashmir,” Omar Abdullah said.
The Chief Minister also acknowledged the issues faced by residents following waterlogging in parts of Srinagar and explained that current authorities are working to fix long-standing gaps in the city’s civic planning.
“Waterlogging in parts of Srinagar is a legacy issue. It’s not the creation of the last two years, not even the last five years. Neither you nor I know who gave permission to build colonies without providing drainage. Now, retrospectively, we are creating drainage in these colonies. We have identified the problematic areas. When we receive warnings from the Met Department, we arrange additional pumpage,” Omar Abdullah said.
