Pakistan summons US Chargé d’Affaires over diplomat’s Kashmir remarks

ISLAMABAD, August 19: Pakistan on Wednesday summoned US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker and lodged a strong demarche over remarks by top American diplomat in India, Sergio Gor, who described the disputed territory as an “important part of India” during his visit to Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), according to the Foreign Office.

The Foreign Office said Pakistan “strongly condemned and categorically rejected” the characterization, stressing that Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognized disputed territory whose final disposition is to be determined in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

The diplomatic protest came after Gor, during his first visit to Srinagar, said Jammu and Kashmir was “an important part of India,” a formulation Islamabad said was factually incorrect and inconsistent with the territory’s internationally recognized disputed status.

The development comes at a sensitive time for India-Pakistan relations, with the Kashmir dispute remaining at the center of decades of conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

Pakistan maintains that the dispute must be resolved in accordance with relevant UN resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people, while India claims Jammu and Kashmir as an integral part of the country.

Pakistan summons US diplomat over Kashmir remarks

According to the Foreign Office, US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday, where Islamabad lodged a formal demarche over Gor’s remarks.

Pakistan “categorically rejected” the description of Jammu and Kashmir as a “part of India,” saying the statement disregarded the territory’s disputed status.

The Foreign Office said 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.”

Islamabad also objected to the remarks on the grounds that they departed from the United States’ established position on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

The Foreign Office said Gor’s statement “negated the long-standing and well-documented position of the United States on the Jammu & Kashmir dispute.”

Pakistan also said the remarks ran contrary to Washington’s stated commitment to the “supremacy of international law and the UN Charter.”

The ministry urged the US side to ensure that its public statements remain consistent with the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir.

During the demarche, Pakistan also highlighted President Donald Trump’s previous offer to mediate between India and Pakistan over the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.

The Foreign Office said Islamabad appreciated Trump’s offer to mediate following Marka-e-Haq, while urging Washington to ensure that its public statements on the dispute remain consistent with Jammu and Kashmir’s disputed status.

Pakistan has repeatedly welcomed international efforts aimed at facilitating a peaceful resolution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, provided they are consistent with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.