Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday criticized the United States for prioritizing its own interests over global diplomatic sensitivities, following a controversial White House meeting between US President Donald Trump and Pakistan’s Army Chief, General Asim Munir.
Speaking to reporters at the Srinagar railway station, Abdullah remarked, "The US President acts according to his own whims. It’s not for us to dictate whom he should host or not. However, we once believed that America valued its friendship with us. Clearly, that perception was mistaken — the US simply follows its own agenda without regard for other nations."
His remarks came in response to a rare and high-level engagement in Washington, where President Trump hosted General Munir for a private lunch on Wednesday. The meeting, notably held without the presence of any senior US civilian officials, marked an unusual step in US-Pakistan military relations, drawing concern in New Delhi.
Shifting focus to the escalating conflict in the Middle East, Abdullah condemned the recent hostilities between Iran and Israel. “The bombing should never have begun,” he said, advocating for a diplomatic resolution. Referring to earlier US intelligence assessments that downplayed Iran’s nuclear capabilities, he questioned Israel’s recent justification for its attacks, which began on June 13 and reportedly targeted Iranian nuclear infrastructure, military assets, and senior personnel.
Abdullah also addressed the concerns of Indian families amid the Iran-Israel conflict, particularly in regard to students from Jammu and Kashmir stranded in Iran. “We are working to evacuate them safely. Airports and seaports remain closed, so students are being moved first by road to safer locations and then flown out through nearby countries like Armenia,” he said.
In a major development late Friday, a special evacuation flight under India’s Operation Sindhu safely returned 290 Indian students from Iran to Delhi. Two additional chartered flights are scheduled for Saturday — one arriving from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan at 4:30 PM, and another later that night at 11:30 PM — both set to land at Terminal 3 of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Despite rising tensions, Iranian authorities permitted India to use its airspace for the evacuation, a gesture Indian officials called a “noteworthy act of goodwill” amidst the regional crisis.
