Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor’s remarks describing Jammu and Kashmir as “an important part of India” have triggered a diplomatic backlash from Pakistan, which summoned the US Charg d’Affaires in Islamabad and lodged a strong protest on Wednesday.
Gor made the remarks during his first visit to Srinagar, where he met Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and praised steps taken to improve security in the region. Hours later, Pakistan’s Foreign Office rejected his characterisation of Jammu and Kashmir as part of India and called the remarks “factually incorrect”.
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In a statement issued on Wednesday, Pakistan said its Foreign Secretary summoned the US Charg d’Affaires in Islamabad and lodged a “strong demarche” over Gor’s comments.
Pakistan said it “strongly condemned and categorically rejected” the description of Jammu and Kashmir as “a part of India”.
Pakistan described Jammu and Kashmir as an “internationally recognised disputed territory” and said its final status remained to be determined in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and what it called the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
Islamabad also criticised the timing and nature of Gor’s remarks, saying they were inconsistent with what it described as the longstanding US position on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
“It was underscored that the irresponsible statement by the US Ambassador negated the long-standing and well-documented position of the United States on the J&K dispute,” Pakistan said.
It further accused the remarks of running contrary to the US commitment to international law and the UN Charter.
Pakistan also referred to US President Donald Trump’s offer to mediate between India and Pakistan over Jammu and Kashmir following the Markar-e-Haq, and urged Washington to ensure that its public statements remained consistent with what Islamabad described as the disputed status of the region.
WHAT DID SERGIO GOR SAY?
Gor made the remarks after meeting Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar.
“It is a pleasure to be here. This is an important part of India. I am here, visiting for the first time. It is an incredibly beautiful place,” Gor said.
Gor also said the US would review its travel warning for Jammu and Kashmir, which currently carries a Level 4 “Do not travel” advisory from Washington because of terrorism concerns.
“The United States puts out travel warnings and every so often we re-evaluate those travel warnings. I cannot make any big announcements here today but it is something that we are going to look at,” he said.
He added that Washington would assess whether the existing warning should be downgraded.
“We will be looking at whether the travel warning that is imposed, that is recommended by the United States, is something that should be downgraded,” Gor said.
The ambassador also described Jammu and Kashmir as a destination that could attract American visitors.
“I think a lot of Americans would enjoy coming here and seeing the beauty and opportunity that exists here,” he said.
GOR MEETS OMAR ABDULLAH
Gor’s meeting with Abdullah focused on the Chief Minister’s priorities for Jammu and Kashmir and ways to expand economic engagement, according to the US envoy.
“We discussed ways to deepen economic collaboration and create opportunities that would mutually benefit both of our nations,” Gor said in a post on X.
Abdullah said the discussions covered tourism, horticulture and the new economy, and described the meeting as positive.
“It was a very good meeting. There are obviously certain legacy issues that over time we will be working to resolve. We are hopeful that the engagement between the US and J&K will both widen and deepen in the years ahead,” Abdullah said.
Before meeting Gor, Abdullah had said he did not intend to use the meeting to raise complaints about Kashmir with the US envoy.
“Washington won’t solve our problems; the Centre will. I would rather listen to him instead of complaining,” Abdullah said.
He added: “Our problems are not his concern.”
GOR’S FIRST KASHMIR VISIT
Gor’s visit is his first trip to Jammu and Kashmir since taking charge as US Ambassador to India and comes seven years after the Centre revoked the region’s special status and reorganised the erstwhile state into two Union Territories.
The visit also comes after the Pahalgam terror attack and amid continued focus on security and tourism in the region.
Gor is scheduled to travel to Ladakh on Thursday.
His Kashmir visit has also drawn attention because of the US travel advisory and the potential implications of any change to Washington’s warning for tourism in the region.
Pakistan’s protest now places Gor’s comments at the centre of a fresh diplomatic exchange between Islamabad and Washington over the status of Jammu and Kashmir.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
