India dismisses Pakistan’s protest over Sergio Gor’s J&K remark

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal brushed aside Islamabad’s reaction to Sergio Gor’s comments, saying there was no reason to comment on Pakistan’s “frustration”

PGurus Newsdesk

August 21, 2026

New Delhi has reaffirmed its position on Jammu and Kashmir after Pakistan protested US envoy Sergio Gor’s remarks during his Srinagar visit

MEA reiterates J&K and Ladakh are integral parts of India

India on Friday dismissed Pakistan’s reaction to US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor’s remarks on Jammu and Kashmir, with the Ministry of External Affairs reiterating that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and indivisible parts of India.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was responding to Pakistan’s decision to summon a senior US diplomat after Gor described Jammu and Kashmir as an “important part of India” during his visit to Srinagar.

“I will repeat, Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh are integral and indivisible parts of India. They were, they are, and they will remain so,” Jaiswal said at the MEA’s bi-weekly press briefing in New Delhi.

Asked about Pakistan’s diplomatic protest, Jaiswal said, “I see no reason to comment on Pakistan’s frustration.”

What Sergio Gor said in Srinagar

Gor made the remarks during his first visit to Jammu and Kashmir, where he met Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at his residence in Srinagar on Wednesday.

Speaking after the meeting, the US ambassador said Jammu and Kashmir was “an important part of India” and described the region as an “incredibly beautiful place”. He also said the meeting was warm and cordial and that there would be follow-up discussions in Washington and New Delhi.

Gor also indicated that Washington could reconsider its travel advisory for Jammu and Kashmir. The US currently maintains a Level 4 “do not travel” advisory for the region.

The ambassador subsequently travelled to Ladakh as part of his two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Pakistan protests Gor’s remarks

Gor’s statement triggered a strong reaction in Islamabad. Pakistan summoned the US Chargé d’Affaires and lodged a formal protest, calling the ambassador’s description of Jammu and Kashmir “factually incorrect” and saying it contradicted what Islamabad described as Washington’s longstanding position on the Kashmir dispute.

Pakistan has maintained that Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory whose final status should be determined in accordance with relevant UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

India, however, has consistently maintained that Jammu and Kashmir, including the territory under Pakistan’s occupation, along with Ladakh, is an integral part of the country.

Omar Abdullah’s position

The development came after Omar Abdullah had said ahead of Gor’s visit that he would not use his meeting with the US ambassador to raise the region’s internal political grievances.

Abdullah had said that Jammu and Kashmir’s problems needed to be resolved by the Centre and not Washington. He said he preferred to listen to what the US envoy had to say during their meeting.

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