SRINAGAR: US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor began his maiden visit to Ladakh on Thursday, undertaking a river-rafting expedition from Tsogti to Sangam, where the Zanskar and Indus rivers meet, officials said.
Gor arrived at Kushok Bakula Rinpoche Airport in Leh from Srinagar after his scheduled flight was delayed earlier in the day because of adverse weather conditions. He was escorted by a large security detail upon arrival.
The visit is significant as it marks the first tour of Ladakh by Gor since he assumed charge as the 27th US ambassador to India in January this year. It is also the first standalone visit by a serving US ambassador to the region since Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into two Union Territories in 2019 and the India-China military confrontation in eastern Ladakh intensified following the Galwan Valley clashes of June 2020.
Rather than beginning with a series of formal engagements, Gor’s Ladakh itinerary focused initially on the region’s landscape and adventure tourism. His rafting expedition covered several kilometres between Tsogti and Sangam, one of Ladakh’s prominent river-adventure destinations.
The visit follows Gor’s arrival in Srinagar on Wednesday, where he met Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at his residence.
Gor’s Ladakh visit comes against the backdrop of the region’s continuing strategic importance. Ladakh shares sensitive borders with both China and Pakistan and has remained at the centre of India’s security concerns since the Galwan clashes, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed. The confrontation led to a prolonged military stand-off along the Line of Actual Control and a substantial increase in troop deployments and infrastructure development on both sides.
The ambassador’s visit is also being watched for its potential diplomatic dimension because Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is currently in Leh. Reports had suggested that Gor could meet the 91-year-old spiritual leader, although there has been no official confirmation of such a meeting.
Any engagement between a senior US diplomat and the Dalai Lama would be closely watched in Beijing, which regards the Tibetan spiritual leader’s international contacts as interference in China’s internal affairs.
Gor’s rafting expedition therefore comes at a time when Ladakh is seeking to consolidate its position as an international adventure and cultural tourism destination, even as its strategic importance continues to place the Himalayan Union Territory at the intersection of India’s security, tourism and diplomatic interests.
