Srinagar, Aug. 21 -- After US ambassador Sergio Gor described Kashmir as an "important part of India" and Pakistan lodged a protest, chief minister Omar Abdullah said that it was a matter between the US and Pakistan. Pakistan on Wednesday summoned the US charge d'affaires and lodged a "strong demarche" over remarks by Gor regarding Jammu and Kashmir during his visit to the Union territory. When asked about Pakistan's protest, Omar said, "This is an issue between the US and Pakistan. Neither you nor I can do anything on this. Whatever the US ambassador has said is between the two countries." On the Congress calling the US ambassador's remarks a "third party intervention", the CM said the Congress is the biggest opposition party and is entitled to its point of view. "I am not going to enter into a war of words over this." Meanwhile, former J&K CM and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said it was not the first time a US ambassador had visited Kashmir. "The only difference is that before 2019, whenever the US ambassador visited Kashmir, they used to meet a cross-section of society and form their opinion. Post-2019, all tours of foreign dignitaries are curated. He came, met the CM, took a Shikara ride and left. I agree with Omar that the solution to our problems lies with New Delhi, not with the US," Mufti said. Mufti alleged that unfortunately Omar did not raise the issue of Kashmir with New Delhi. "At least Omar should have shown displeasure to the ambassador over the killing of people in Iran and other Muslim countries, as J&K also gets affected when people are killed there," Mufti said. BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur welcomed the visit of Sergio Gor to Srinagar, describing his remarks that J&K is an "important part of India" as a major diplomatic achievement and a strong reflection of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy. Thakur said the US ambassador's statement from Srinagar carries considerable diplomatic significance, particularly at a time when Pakistan has repeatedly attempted to internationalise the J&K issue. The US ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, reached Leh on Thursday for his maiden visit to the strategic Ladakh region bordering China and Pakistan, a day after meeting Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar. Gor's visit is the first ever by any US diplomat to the Himalayan region following the Galwan clash in eastern Ladakh between Indian and Chinese armies on June 15, 2020....