US envoy’s Kashmir remarks disregard disputed status, UN position: APHC
Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory: Spokesman
Srinagar: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has strongly condemned remarks by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor during his visit to Srinagar in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), in which he described the UN-recognized disputed territory as an “important part of India”.
According to Kashmir Media Service, APHC spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas, in a statement issued in Srinagar, said that Kashmir was a long-pending international dispute that remained on the agenda of the United Nations.
During his visit to Srinagar on Wednesday, Gor after meeting Omar Abdullah, the puppet Chief Minister of IIOJK, described the region as an important part of India. He also indicated that the United States was considering a review of its travel advisories for the territory.
The APHC spokesman rejected the US envoy’s remarks, reiterating that India’s control over Jammu and Kashmir constitutes illegal occupation and stressing that the unresolved dispute remains a potential flashpoint for regional instability. “It has consumed more than four generations of the people of the disputed region and continues to threaten the future of another generation,” he said.
The APHC has consistently maintained that Kashmir is an international dispute rather than an internal matter of India. Minhas said that any meaningful and lasting resolution requires recognition of the disputed nature of Jammu and Kashmir and the participation of the people of Kashmir and Pakistan as primary parties to the dispute.
Expressing serious concern over Sergio Gor’s remarks, the APHC said the statement appeared to indicate that the US envoy was unaware of the longstanding international position regarding the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir. It further said that the ambassador’s remarks reflected the influence of the BJP-RSS narrative on the region.
The APHC spokesman condemned such remarks as attempts to endorse the use of force by Indian occupation troops to suppress the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiri people for their right to self-determination.
The APHC questioned the ambassador’s statement and reminded him of US President Donald Trump’s expressions of willingness to help mediate or facilitate a resolution to the Kashmir dispute. It also referred to former US President Barack Obama’s position during his 2008 presidential campaign that Kashmir was an issue for India and Pakistan to resolve and emphasized that New Delhi and Islamabad should lead the dialogue process.
The APHC said that, in its understanding, US policy has historically regarded Jammu and Kashmir as disputed territory and supported its settlement through dialogue between India and Pakistan while taking into account the wishes of the people of Kashmir.
The APHC urged the United States to play an active role in facilitating a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute and to support the right to self-determination of the oppressed people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir, who have long been denied their fundamental political rights.
