Pakistan summons US envoy over Sergio Gor’s ‘J-K important part of India’ remark in Srinagar
Pakistan on Wednesday (August 19) summoned US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker and lodged a ‘strong demarche’ after US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor described Jammu and Kashmir as an ‘important part of India’ during his visit to Srinagar.
‘Irresponsible statement by the US ambassador’
Hours after his remarks, Pakistan’s Foreign Office summoned the US Chargé d’Affaires in Islamabad and rejected his characterisation of Jammu and Kashmir as part of India and called the remarks ‘factually incorrect’.
“Pakistan strongly condemned and categorically rejected the characterisation of Jammu and Kashmir as a ‘part of India’,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
“It was underscored that Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognised disputed territory, awaiting final disposition in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people,” the statement added.
It was further highlighted that the “irresponsible statement” by the US ambassador “negated the long-standing and well-documented position of the United States on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, and also ran contrary to the US commitment to the supremacy of international law and the UN Charter,” it said.
While appreciating President Donald Trump’s offer to mediate between India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue in the aftermath of the four-day conflict in May last year, the US side “was urged to ensure that its public statements remain consistent with the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir,” the statement added.
What did Sergio Gor say?
US Ambassador Gor called Jammu and Kashmir an ‘important part of India’ and commended the security efforts made by the Union Territory administration and Centre to make Jammu and Kashmir more safe. He also hinted that Washington could consider downgrading its travel advisory for Jammu and Kashmir.
“This is an important part of India and so I’m here visiting for the first time. It’s an incredibly beautiful place, and so I’m thrilled to be here, thrilled to see this place. We had a very good meeting, and we have some follow-ups that we’ll take back to Washington, back to Delhi. But, a very warm, very cordial, and we look forward to building this relationship forward,” he said.
Gor, who arrived in Srinagar earlier in the day for a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, made the remarks after meeting Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. This is Gor’s first standalone visit by the US envoy to the Union Territory since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 and the Pakistan-backed terror attack in Pahalgam in 2025.
The US envoy said some “incredible steps” have been taken to keep Jammu and Kashmir “more safe” and the US will review travel advisory. Notably, at present the US has a Level 4 “do not travel” advisory for its citizens.
“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. New Delhi, the Chief Minister here, the Government here–we believe have made some incredible steps to keeping this area safer and making it more safe,” Gor said.
(With PTI inputs)
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