Pakistan lodges demarche over US ambassador’s IIOJK visit, disputed territory remarks

Asfand Gurmani August 19, 2026 Pakistan
Pakistan demarche ambassador

Pakistan on Wednesday delivered a strong rebuke to the United States after its Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, referred to Jammu and Kashmir as part of India during a visit to the disputed territory.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the US Chargé d’Affaires in Islamabad and lodged a formal demarche, calling Gor’s remarks “factually incorrect” and a departure from Washington’s own long-held position on the dispute.

Pakistan categorically rejected the description of Jammu and Kashmir as “a part of India,” reaffirming its consistent stance that the territory is internationally recognized as disputed, pending final settlement under relevant UN Security Council resolutions and in line with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people themselves. Islamabad has held this position since the region’s status was first taken to the UN in 1948, and continues to view it as the only legitimate basis for resolution — not unilateral statements by any third country.

The Foreign Ministry argued that Gor’s comments were not just diplomatically careless but substantively at odds with decades of official US policy, which has historically avoided endorsing either side’s sovereignty claim over the region. Islamabad went further, saying the remarks also sit uneasily with Washington’s own professed commitment to the supremacy of international law and the UN Charter — principles Pakistan says should apply consistently, not selectively.

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About the Author

Asfand Gurmani

Asfand Gurmani is an MPhil scholar at FCCU and a journalist with a strong passion for political reporting. He primarily covers Pakistan’s politics, governance, and human rights issues.