AJK president, rights body deplore US envoy’s Kashmir remarks

Muzaffarabad: The leaders of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and the Jammu and Kashmir Council for Human Rights (JKCHR) have strongly rebuked US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor for his assertion that occupied Kashmir is a "significant part of India." The president of AJK, Chaudhry Latif Akbar, described the ambassador's comments during his visit to Srinagar as "deeply regrettable," emphasizing that they disregard the disputed status of the region and the historical stance of Washington.

The president maintained that the administrative control of a part of a disputed territory does not determine or change its ultimate legal and political standing. The Kashmir conflict, he pointed out, has been on the UN Security Council's agenda for decades, with numerous resolutions acknowledging the right of the people to decide their future through a free and impartial process.

Akbar reiterated the United States' historical recognition of Kashmir as a contested issue and stressed the importance of dialogue and a peaceful resolution. He reiterated that the disputed status of Jammu & Kashmir cannot be altered by any diplomatic pronouncement, asserting that the ultimate determination of Kashmir's fate must be made by the Kashmiri people through their inherent right to self-determination.

He called upon Washington and the international community to adhere to international law and the relevant UN resolutions rather than adopting the perspective of any single party involved. The JKCHR joined in the criticism, urging the US ambassador, the US Embassy in New Delhi, and the State Department to reassess Washington's diplomatic and legal stance on Kashmir based on its own historical record.

The organization highlighted the United States' involvement in the UN process aimed at resolving the Kashmir issue, including its support for the appointment of US Admiral Chester W. Nimitz as the UN plebiscite administrator in 1951. The JKCHR also cited a 1951 US State Department policy paper, "Kashmir Dispute: Future Action," which had considered the potential for seeking an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice regarding the legality of the Maharaja's accession to India.

The organization stressed that the absence of a UN-supervised plebiscite did not, by itself, finalize the unresolved dispute. Criticism of the US ambassador's remarks was also voiced by Advocate Arshad Iqbal, spokesperson for the Jammu Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party. He questioned Washington's commitment to impartiality and a constructive role in resolving the conflict by endorsing the position of one party.