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

EXPLAINERPakistan says the comments contradict Washington’s position, but experts see them as a diplomatic misstep.US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor talks to media as he arrives to meet Jammu and Kashmir's Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at Abdullah's home in Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir, Wednesday, August 19, 2026 [Mukhtar Khan/AP Photo]Published On 20 Aug 2026Islamabad, 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.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Pahalgam attack: A simple guide to the Kashmir conflictlist 2 of 4Why is India vetting books in Kashmir in search of ‘anti-national’ content?list 3 of 4Kashmiri activist Khurram Parvez and journalist Irfan Mehraj freed on baillist 4 of 4Is Pakistan ‘using India’s playbook’ in Kashmir?end of listThe 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? Al Jazeera explains.What did the US ambassador say?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.Why does Kashmir trigger such a reaction?Kashmir is a Himalayan region claimed by both India and Pakistan since British colonial rule ended in August 1947.Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel patrol the banks of Dal Lake during a ‘Tiranga Yatra’ (patriotic march) before India’s Independence Day celebrations, in Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir, August 12, 2026 [Sharafat Ali/Reuters]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.In June, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas signed a joint statement with Pakistan’s foreign minister in Islamabad that bracketed Kashmir alongside the war in Ukraine and called for its resolution “through dialogue and diplomacy”.India’s Ministry of External Affairs rejected the reference, saying those with no standing in the matter should refrain from commenting on it.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has drawn similar protests from Delhi at least twice after voicing support for Pakistan’s position on Kashmir.Trump himself triggered a dispute in 2019 when, during a meeting with then-Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, he claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi had personally asked him to mediate on Kashmir. Modi’s government swiftly denied the account in parliament.For Pakistan, US language on Kashmir’s disputed status is an important external validation of its effort to internationalise the issue.For India, meanwhile, any suggestion that Kashmir remains open to outside mediation cuts against the foundation of its position.What has the US position been, historically?The US has officially maintained that Kashmir is disputed and its status should be settled between India and Pakistan, taking into consideration the wishes of the Kashmiri people.American officials have repeated some version of “our policy has not changed” across successive administrations, including in 2019, when a senior US diplomat told Congress that India’s move had not altered Washington’s view of the Line of Control as a “de facto” boundary.Formally, Washington has avoided recognising sovereignty over the territory for either country.A major turning point came in 1999, when President Bill Clinton told Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that Pakistani forces would have to withdraw from Kargil in Indian-administered Kashmir, following the fighting there between the two countries in the region.US President Bill Clinton shakes hands with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif outside Blair House following their talks on Kashmir in Washington, DC, July 4, 1999 [Reuters]Analysts widely saw the episode as the beginning of Washington’s tilt towards Delhi.But after the two countries’ most intense clash in decades last year, Trump claimed credit for the ceasefire and offered to “work with you both” on a Kashmir “solution”.Pakistan welcomed the offer and nominated Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize. India rejected suggestions of US mediation, saying the ceasefire had been reached through direct military talks.Jauhar Saleem, Pakistan’s former foreign secretary and president of the Islamabad-based Institute of Regional Studies, told Al Jazeera that Gor’s remark should not be mistaken for a change in US policy.“US policy on a question as consequential as Jammu and Kashmir cannot be read from an off-the-cuff formulation during a visit by a US ambassador posted in India,” Saleem said. “Any change in policy would be reflected in Washington’s formal statements, State Department language and, in fact, should be at the level of the White House.”He said such lapses were not new.“Sometimes ambassadors fall prey to what we call ‘localitis’, and in an attempt to please their hosts can make comments entirely out of line with their country’s stated policy, creating unpleasant situations,” he said. “This is a classic example and has therefore evoked an expected strong demarche from Pakistan’s Foreign Office.”Saleem said Trump’s repeated offers to mediate between Pakistan and India, “which was not appreciated in New Delhi”, showed that Washington’s position remained unsettled at the top rather than shifting towards India. “I would actually expect a clarification from Washington soon,” he added.Will it affect Pakistan-US ties?Saleem, who summoned a US ambassador in Islamabad during his tenure as foreign secretary in late 2022 over what he called “a very objectionable remark” by then-President Joe Biden, said a demarche was not primarily a tool to punish Washington. Biden had described Pakistan as “one of the most dangerous nations in the world”.