Islamabad summons US charge d’affaires, rejects Gor’s description of Kashmir as part of India
Police officers stand guard at the main entry gate of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad. Photo: File
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan on Wednesday summoned the US Charge d’Affaires in Islamabad and lodged a strong diplomatic protest over remarks by US ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who described Jammu and Kashmir as an “important part of India” during his maiden visit to Srinagar.
The Foreign Office said the US diplomat was summoned over what Islamabad termed “factually incorrect remarks” regarding the status of Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan “strongly condemned and categorically rejected” the characterization of Jammu and Kashmir as a part of India, reiterating that the territory was an internationally recognized disputed territory whose final disposition remained to be determined in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
The demarche came hours after Gor, who is also US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs, visited Srinagar on the first leg of a two-day trip to the Indian illegally-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
During his meeting with IIOJK Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar, Gor described Kashmir as an “important part of India”, while praising what he called improvements in the security situation in the region. He also indicated that Washington could review its travel advisory for the territory.
“I am here, visiting for the first time. It is an incredibly beautiful place,” Gor said while speaking to reporters after meeting Abdullah, adding that Kashmir was an important part of India.
The visit was significant as it marked Gor’s first trip to IIOJK since taking office and came after years of heightened tensions surrounding the disputed territory. Indian media described it as the first visit by a serving US ambassador to the region since the 2019 constitutional changes that ended Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
Gor’s visit also followed the April 2025 Pahalgam attack and subsequent India-Pakistan military confrontation, adding further significance to his decision to travel to Srinagar.
The US envoy also suggested that Washington would reassess its travel warning for the region, although he stopped short of announcing any immediate change. “Every so often we re-evaluate those travel warnings,” Gor said, according to Indian media reports.
Pakistan, however, took particular exception to his description of the territory’s status.
In its demarche, the Foreign Office said Gor’s remarks negated the “long-standing and well-documented position” of the United States on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute and were contrary to Washington’s stated commitment to international law and the UN Charter.
Islamabad also sought to draw a distinction between Washington’s latest statement and President Trump’s repeated expressions of willingness to help resolve the Kashmir dispute.
“While appreciating President Donald Trump’s offer to mediate between India and Pakistan to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in the aftermath of Marka-e-Haq,” the Foreign Office said, “the US side was urged to ensure that its public statements remain consistent with the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir.”
The issue is particularly sensitive for Pakistan because Islamabad maintains that the dispute cannot be settled through unilateral measures by either side and must ultimately reflect the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
Pakistan has repeatedly maintained that the relevant UN Security Council resolutions provide the international legal framework for resolving the dispute. In recent statements, the Foreign Office has reiterated that unilateral measures do not alter the internationally recognised disputed status of the territory or prejudice its final disposition.
For Islamabad, the immediate concern is that describing Jammu and Kashmir as part of India could be interpreted as a departure from the language traditionally used by Washington on the dispute.
The Pakistani protest appeared aimed at preventing the statement from becoming an established US policy position, particularly given President Trump’s previous offers to facilitate a settlement between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
The Foreign Office’s emphasis on Trump’s mediation offer also underscored the apparent contradiction Islamabad sees between the US president’s stated willingness to help resolve the dispute and the ambassador’s characterisation of Kashmir during his visit to Srinagar.
Wednesday’s demarche signals that Islamabad does not intend to allow any change in the terminology used by a major power such as the United States regarding Kashmir to pass without a formal diplomatic response.
