WASHINGTON: The United States has asked its citizens not to travel to Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, due to the threat of “terrorism and civil uneasiness”.
In a new trip premonitory issued this week, the US State Department also prompted citizens to exercise “increased caution” while traveling to other places in India due to “crime and terrorism”.
The State Department, in an analogous advisory about Pakistan, asked its citizens to review their trip, especially in restive businesses due to terrorism and insular violence. But the advisory for Pakistan doesn’t mention Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
“Don’t travel to The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir(except the eastern Ladakh region and its capital, Leh) due to terrorism and civil uneasiness. Within 10 km of the India-Pakistan border due to the eventuality for fortified conflict,” the advisory on India said.
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The premonitory includes a country-summary on India, pointing out that “Indian authorities report rape as one of the fastest growing crimes”. Violent crime, similar as sexual assault, has passed at sightseer spots and in other locales.
“Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting sightseer locales, transportation capitals, requests shopping promenades, and government installations.”
The premonitory reminds citizens that “the US government has limited capability to give exigency services to US citizens in pastoral areas from eastern Maharashtra and northern Telangana through western West Bengal as US government workers must gain special authorisation to travel to these areas”.
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The advisory on India calls the engaged Jammu and Kashmir “Union Territory,” which is how the Indian government describes the immorally adjoined areas since Aug 5, 2019.
Before this month, US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome visited Muzaffarabad and appertained to the region as Azad Jammu and Kashmir,” inspiring a formal kick from New Delhi.
