No change in Kashmir policy, US assures Islamabad
WASHINGTON: The US has assured Pakistan that its position on the Kashmir dispute remains unchanged and that Washington continues to regard the region as a disputed territory requiring a settlement between Pakistan and India, according to diplomatic sources. The assurance followed the controversial remarks by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who described Jammu and Kashmir as an “important part…
The United States has affirmed to Pakistan that its stance on the Kashmir issue remains unchanged, according to diplomatic sources. This assurance came in response to controversial remarks made by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who characterized Jammu and Kashmir as "an important part of India" during a visit to Srinagar on August 19.
Pakistani officials sought clarification from Washington on whether Gor's comments indicated a shift in US policy. US officials reassured Islamabad that there had been "no change in our position" and reiterated that Washington still viewed Kashmir as a dispute requiring resolution between Pakistan and India. The offer made by President Trump to assist in resolving the Kashmir dispute further highlighted the concerns in Islamabad following Gor's remarks.
During a meeting with Omar Abdullah, head of the government in India-administered Kashmir, Ambassador Gor referred to the territory as "an important part of India" and stated that Washington was reviewing its "Do not travel" advisory for the region amid reported improvements in security conditions. Pakistan subsequently protested the remarks, summoning the US chargé d'affaires in Islamabad, arguing that they contradicted the U.S. longstanding position and relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
The matter was further discussed during a media interaction in Washington involving Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir, and Pakistan's Ambassador to the US, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh. Noon emphasized Pakistan's political, diplomatic, and moral support for the Kashmiri people and stressed that a lasting peace in South Asia was unattainable without resolving the dispute in line with UN Security Council resolutions.
He warned that the dispute could not be considered settled and called for greater attention from the international community to allegations of human rights violations in India-administered Kashmir, citing concerns over disappearances, detentions, demographic shifts, and attempts to alter Kashmir's political and cultural identity.
Noon also linked the Kashmir issue to the broader security situation in South Asia, stressing the importance of resolving outstanding disputes peacefully given the presence of three nuclear-armed states. The US embassy subsequently issued a statement reflecting these positions.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
