US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s controversial PoK visit in 2022 actually funded by Pakistan: Report

US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s controversial visit to Pakistan-occupied part of the disputed region of Kashmir or PoK as it is called in 2022 was actually funded by the Pakistani government, an annual House financial disclosure report revealed on Friday. Omar, a prominent Democrat known for her anti-India stance on various issues had made a rare visit by a US lawmaker to PoK in 2022 and had said at that time that the dispute should get more attention from the United States, prompting an angry response from India. The disclosure shows that Islamabad had sponsored Omar’s visit from 18th to 24th of April, 2022—which included lodging as well as food. According to United States protocol, if a citizen holds a public office or happens to be a people’s representative at the seat of power then he/she is bound by law to make a disclosure of foreign trips undertaken during that period in office. The disclosure includes making public who has sponsored foreign trips undertaken by the people’s representative. According to a News18 report, Omar during her trip to Pakistan was taken on a tour of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir by regional authorities and also met Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other political leaders. It is a well-known fact, that Omar has been critical of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi several times in the past including just ahead of PM Modi’s state visit to the United States. Though she portrayed she was neutral at that time, the disclosure has revealed that Omar is very much sympathetic to the cause of Pakistan and the disputed region of PoK. It would also not be far from the truth to point out that the US lawmaker is a part of the Pakistani ecosystem and diaspora that exists in the United States. The disclosure once again proves that the verbal attacks on PM Modi were orchestrated by Pakistan from behind the scenes and the US lawmaker may well have been a puppet doing Pakistan’s bidding, according to media reports. “At a time when Pakistan is begging all over the world for money, Islamabad allegedly has the funds to sponsor the visit of a US lawmaker.to actually visit the region and carry out anti-India propaganda. I wish they would utilise the money available to then for b better purposes that could actually benefit their own country,” said Sushant Sareen, Senior Fellow, ORF. The research scholar also pointed out that the propaganda carried out by Omar at the behest of Pakistan would actually not be able to cause a dent in India’s armour, while reacting to the recent disclosure. “I don’t believe that it (Kashmir) is being talked about to the extent it needs to in Congress but also with the administration," Omar had told reporters after visiting the de facto border dividing the disputed territory between Pakistan and India in 2022. Omar, a Somali American who belongs to President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party, is the first naturalised citizen of African birth to sit in the US Congress.