Why a Trump envoy’s Kashmir visit has led to US-Pakistan spat

Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the top United States diplomat in Islamabad on Wednesday, hours after US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor described Indian-administered Kashmir as “an important part of India” during his first visit to the territory. Islamabad rejected the remark and reasserted Kashmir’s status as disputed territory. The visit by Gor, who also serves as President Donald Trump’s special envoy for South and Central Asia, was the first standalone trip by a serving US ambassador to Indian-administered Kashmir since 2019, and the first since India stripped the territory of its autonomy that year.

His remarks were made publicly, alongside Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, adding to Islamabad’s irritation. The episode also comes at a delicate moment for Washington’s ties with both South Asian rivals, as Pakistan courts Trump’s administration more closely than it has in years, and as the US tries to balance that relationship against its strategic partnership with India. So, what exactly did the US ambassador say, why has it caused such offence, and does it change anything?

Sergio Gor, a 38-year-old former Trump aide who was confirmed as US ambassador to India in January, spent two days in Srinagar and Ladakh this week. After meeting Abdullah in Srinagar, he told reporters he was thrilled to be visiting “an important part of India” for the first time. He also said Washington was reconsidering its “do not travel” advisory, citing improved security under Abdullah’s administration.

The advisory at the moment places Jammu and Kashmir at a “Do Not Travel” level, citing terrorism and civil unrest, though it exempts the eastern territories of Ladakh and Leh. Islamabad’s response came the same Wednesday evening. The Foreign Ministry summoned Charge d’Affaires Natalie Baker, who currently heads the US mission in the country.

The ministry lodged what it called a “strong demarche”, rejecting the “characterisation of Indian-administered Kashmir as a ‘part of India'” and reasserting it as an internationally recognised disputed territory awaiting final disposition under United Nations Security Council resolutions. The statement called Gor’s remarks factually incorrect and said they negated Washington’s longstanding position on the dispute. It also thanked Trump for his offer – made after India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire ending their four-day war last year – to help resolve the Kashmir question, urging Washington to keep its public language consistent with that position.

Kashmir is a Himalayan region claimed by both India and Pakistan since British colonial rule ended in August 1947. India and Pakistan each administer part of the territory but claim it in full and have fought several wars over it. A UN Security Council resolution passed in 1949 called for the territory’s final status to be decided by a plebiscite, which has never been held.