Pakistan formally summoned the United States’ Chargé d’Affaires in Islamabad on Wednesday, lodging a strong protest after US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor described Jammu and Kashmir as an important part of India during a visit to the region. Natalie Baker, the US envoy in Islamabad, was called in to face Pakistan’s objections over the comments.
Gor made the remarks after meeting Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar. Speaking about his visit, he called the region “an incredibly beautiful place” and said he was thrilled to see it firsthand, adding that this was his first visit to the territory. He went on to describe J&K as an important part of India. Gor also took a shikara ride on Srinagar’s famous Dal Lake during his trip and suggested that Washington may reconsider its travel advisories for Jammu and Kashmir, citing steps taken by both the central government and Chief Minister Abdullah to improve safety in the region.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office reacted sharply within hours of the remarks becoming public, issuing a statement that strongly condemned and categorically rejected any characterization of Jammu and Kashmir as part of India. The statement reiterated Islamabad’s long-standing position that the territory remains an internationally recognized disputed area, whose final status should be determined in line with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
Pakistan further argued that Gor’s comments, in his capacity as the Trump administration’s Special Envoy to South and Central Asia, misrepresented what it called the long-standing and well-documented position of the United States on the Kashmir dispute, and ran counter to Washington’s stated support for resolving the matter through established international frameworks.
India, for its part, has consistently maintained that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral and non-negotiable part of the country, a position it reiterated firmly following the diplomatic exchange.