By Afshain Afzal
During visit to Srinagar US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor said on Wednesday that Jammu and Kashmir is an as an important part of India and that Washington would review travel advisory for Jammu and Kashmir including Ladakh.
Review or re-evaluation of travel advisories or warnings is nothing new and it is probably new for Islamabad to know that Washington as a policy have declared Jammu and Kashmir as integral part of India. It seems that the Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and intelligence agencies are in deep slumber that it reacted to Ambassador Sergio Gor statement.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) issued a demarche on the visit of the US Ambassador to India and said, “US Ambassador Gor visited IIOJK on Wednesday, marking his first visit to the valley, and described the territory as “an important part of India,” “The irresponsible statement by the US Ambassador negated the long-standing and well-documented position of the United States on the Jammu & Kashmir dispute,” the ministry said, adding that the remarks were contrary to the US commitment to the supremacy of international law and the UN Charter.
The fact cannot be denied that Islamabad announcement that Ambassador Sergio Gor statement ‘negated the long-standing and well-documented US position on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute’ cannot change the US Policy towards Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan has been beating the drums that US President Donald Trump’s offered to mediate between India and Pakistan to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in the aftermath of Marka-e-Haq but the fact cannot be denied that US never gave assurance to Islamabad or US President hot favourite Pakistan Army Chief Syed Asif Munir regarding holding of plebiscite in disputed Jammu and Kashmir state.
Strategic and foreign policies are made keeping in view the aspirations of people as embodied in the Constitution but presently Islamabad maintain an entirely different perception of leaving the nation in the darkness of ignorance and communication blackout presuming things would improve with the passage of time. One must learn the difference between a sovereign nation and colonies to appreciate the geopolitical situation in the region and beyond. It is high time that Pakistan must approach UNO and other stakeholders for permanent solution of Jammu and Kashmir state to ensure peace in the region and around the world.