The United States will re-evaluate to downgrade its travel advisory against Jammu and Kashmir, visiting U.S. Ambassador Sergio Gor said on Wednesday (August 19, 2026) after his meeting with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

“J&K is an important part of India. Delhi and the Chief Minister have made incredible steps to keep this place safe,” Mr. Gor, who is also the U.S. Special Envoy to South and Central Asia, said post the meeting in the U.T. He reached Srinagar earlier in the day on a two-day visit to J&K, and Ladakh.

The U.S had issued a ‘Do Not Travel’ advisory for J&K in April 2025 owing to the “terror attacks” and possible “violent civilian unrest” in the Union Territory and also within 10 kms of the India-Pakistan border. It came soon after terrorists opened fire in Kashmir’s Pahalgam killing 26 people, mostly tourists, in what is the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019.

Calling it a “very good meeting”, Mr. Abdullah said they discussed relations between India and the U.S., and also aspects on “what the U.S. can do with J&K”. “There are some legacy issues which over time we will be working to resolve,” the CM said, adding that he hopes to take the conversation forward.

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Prior to the meeting, Mr. Abdullah had ruled out raising internal issues with Washington's representative, saying only the central government can resolve those issues. "It is after a very long time that a U.S. ambassador is visiting Jammu and Kashmir. For me personally, it has been a long time since I met any American ambassador. Let him come; we will sit and talk," he said.

The Chief Minister, however, said he would prefer to listen more to the ambassador even as "he [Gor] is also coming to listen".

Mr. Abdullah said the issues facing Jammu and Kashmir have no direct bearing on the U.S., as the resolution to the issues of the Union Territory will not come from Washington but from the central government.