US Ambassador’s Kashmir remarks legally, politically inappropriate: Masood Khan
Islamabad: Former president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan has said that the US Ambassador’s recent Kashmir statement does not represent any change in the established position of the United States on the Kashmir dispute.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Sardar Masood Khan in a television interview said the statement attributed to the US Ambassador in India regarding the status of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir was incorrect, as the United States had not formally changed its policy or recognised Jammu and Kashmir as part of India.
He said that it was difficult to regard the statement as a result of lack of knowledge, noting that US ambassadors undergo extensive briefings at the State Department and their respective missions before assuming their responsibilities. He added that an ambassador visiting occupied Jammu and Kashmir would also be expected to understand the sensitivity surrounding the disputed territory and the long-standing positions of the parties concerned.
Sardar Masood Khan recalled that the United States had historically supported the principle of self-determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir and had been associated with the relevant United Nations discussions and resolutions concerning the dispute. He said that the Kashmir dispute continued to remain on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council and that its resolutions had neither been implemented nor terminated.
“Legally, this statement is not correct,” Sardar Masood Khan said, adding that the remarks were also politically inappropriate, particularly at a time when Pakistan-US relations had been developing positively.
He recalled that following the Marka-e-Haq episode and the subsequent ceasefire between Pakistan and India, President Donald Trump had called upon both countries to pursue trade and resolve the Kashmir dispute. He also referred to the position expressed by then US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Pakistan and India should engage in dialogue and negotiations to address their outstanding issues.
Sardar Masood Khan said these developments demonstrated that there had been no formal change in Washington’s position on Jammu and Kashmir and that the remarks attributed to the ambassador should therefore not be interpreted as a policy shift unless formally endorsed by the US State Department.
Commenting on the ambassador’s visit to Srinagar and Ladakh, he said the choice of words regarding Kashmir was inappropriate, although the ambassador was free to visit different parts of the territory. He observed that the visit to Ladakh could also carry a wider geo-political signal in the context of the strategic and economic rivalry between the United States and China and growing US-India strategic ties.
Sardar Masood Khan welcomed the démarche issued by Pakistan’s Foreign Office, saying Islamabad had appropriately conveyed its protest and reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir remained a disputed territory whose final status was to be determined in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions.
He said further diplomatic engagement would take place through official channels in Islamabad and Washington, expressing confidence that the United States would clarify that there had been no change in its established position on Jammu and Kashmir.
