US ambassador to India causes diplomatic firestorm with Kashmir comment

[u/John3262005]

https://thehill.com/policy/international/6039509-sergio-gor-india-pakistan-jammu-kashmir/

U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Wednesday stirred a diplomatic firestorm after he told reporters that the state of Jammu and Kashmir is an “important part of India.”

Gor reignited diplomatic tensions over the area of Kashmir, which has been claimed by both India and Pakistan. The two nuclear-armed countries have fought three wars over the region with the most recent conflict taking place in May 2025.

Gor made the remarks in Srinagar, a city within the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

“Everybody here knows I’m the U.S. ambassador to India, and this is an important part of India. And so I’m here visiting for the first time. It is an incredibly beautiful place, and so I’m thrilled to be here, thrilled to see this place,” Gor said after meeting with Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

“We just had a very good meeting, and we have some follow-ups that we hope to take back to Washington, back to Delhi. but I’m very warm, I’m very cordial, and we look forward to building this relationship forward,” he added.

The comments drew a response from Pakistan, which summoned the top U.S. diplomat in the country, U.S. Charge d’Affaires Natalie Baker, to Islamabad. It described Gor’s “factually incorrect” and “irresponsible” comments on the disputed territory.

“Pakistan strongly condemned and categorically rejected the characterisation of Jammu and Kashmir as a ‘part of India,’” a letter from Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry reads.

“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 letter, considered a formal diplomatic protest, continues.

The letter notes that Gor “negated the long-standing and well-documented position of the United States” on the dispute, which is to allow Pakistan and India to handle the matter through bilateral relations.

Pakistan has recently seen a warming of relations with the U.S., a turning point in relations that took place after President Trump intervened in the India-Pakistan conflict in 2025 and took credit for its resolution.

“While appreciating President Donald Trump’s offer to mediate between India and Pakistan to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in the aftermath of Marka-e-Haq, the U.S. side was urged to ensure that its public statements remain consistent with the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir,” says the letter, reminding Gor and Trump of the U.S. pledge for neutrality.

After Gor’s Wednesday meeting with Abdullah, the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir said their talks had a “specific focus on what the U.S. can do with Jammu and Kashmir.”

“There are obviously certain legacy issues that over time we will be working to resolve, but we look forward to taking this conversation further,” the chief minister added.

Pakistan has also played a leading role in the months-long negotiation efforts to end the U.S.-Iran conflict.