Omar is currently on a four-day visit to Pakistan where apart from meetings with the political leadership in Islamabad, she is visiting Lahore and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir
US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. AFP/File
India on Thursday condemned the visit of US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar to Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), saying it reflected her “narrow-minded” politics.
At a media briefing, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi criticised Omar for visiting PoK. The US Congresswoman is currently on a four-day visit to Pakistan.
“We have noted that she has visited a part of the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir that is currently illegally occupied by Pakistan. Let me just say that if such a politician wishes to practice her narrow-minded politics… that may be her business,” Bagchi said.
“But violating our territorial integrity and sovereignty in its pursuit makes this ours and we think the visit is condemnable,” he said.
Bagchi was asked to comment on Omar’s visit to PoK.
To another query on recent terror attacks in Afghanistan, the spokesperson said India has been looking at the developments in that country.
“We have seen some of the terrorist attacks. We have always been forthright in our condemnation of terrorist attacks. We are looking at what has been the developments there,” Bagchi said.
“But let me emphasise that we certainly condemn all terrorist attacks,” he said.
Pakistan visit
Omar is currently on a four-day visit to Pakistan where apart from meetings with the political leadership in Islamabad, she is visiting Lahore and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. She reached Islamabad earlier on Wednesday, where Foreign Office’s Director-General Americas Mohammad Mudassir Tipu received her at the Islamabad Airport.
She has already met Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif and former prime minister Imran Khan
In Muzaffarabad on Thursday the US Congresswoman said the United States Foreign Affairs Committee had previously held hearings to investigate the reports of human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir and had discussed the anti-Muslim rhetoric and its effects in India.
“The condemnations and concerns of those who fight for human rights and the question of Kashmir will be included in future hearings within the USA,” Omar has assured at the meet.
Ilhan Omar
Omar represents Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives, which includes Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs.
An experienced Twin Cities policy analyst, organiser, public speaker and advocate, Omar was sworn into office in January 2019, making her the first African refugee to become a Member of Congress, the first woman of colour to represent Minnesota, and one of the first two Muslim-American women elected to Congress.
Born in Somalia, she and her family fled the country’s civil war when she was eight. The family spent four years in a refugee camp in Kenya before coming to the United States in the 1990s. In 1997, she moved to Minneapolis with her family. .
As a teenager, Omar’s grandfather inspired her to get involved in politics. Before running for office, she worked as a community educator at the University of Minnesota, was a Policy Fellow at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and served as a Senior Policy Aide for the Minneapolis City Council, reported the newspaper.
In 2016 she was elected as the Minnesota House Representative for District 60B, making her the highest-elected Somali-American public official in the United States and the first Somali-American State Legislator.
Omar served as the assistant minority leader, with assignments to three house committees; Civil Law and Data Practices Policy, Higher Education & Career Readiness Policy and Finance, and State Government Finance.
With input from agencies
Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.