The Foreign Office (FO) on Wednesday summoned the US charge d\u2019affaires in Islamabad and lodged a \u201cstrong demarche\u201d over \u201cfactually incorrect remarks\u201d by the US ambassador to India regarding the status of Jammu and Kashmir during his visit to disputed region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPakistan strongly condemned and categorically rejected the characterisation of Jammu and Kashmir as a \u2018part of India\u2019,\u201d said the FO statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was underscored that Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognised disputed territory, awaiting final disposition in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was further highlighted that the \u201cirresponsible statement\u201d by the US ambassador \u201cnegated the long-standing and well-documented position of the United States on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, and also ran contrary to the US commitment to the supremacy of international law and the UN Charter,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pakistan appreciated US President Donald Trump\u2019s offer to mediate between Pakistan and India to resolve the Kashmir dispute in the aftermath of Marka-i-Haq<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the US side was urged to ensure that its public statements remained consistent with the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir, the FO concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kashmir is a disputed territory claimed in full by both Pakistan and India. The two countries fought their first war over the region in 1948, after which the liberated areas were declared Azad Jammu and Kashmir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A United Nations Security Council resolution passed in 1949 affirmed Kashmiris\u2019 right to decide their future<\/a> through a UN-sponsored plebiscite. The vote has yet to take place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In August 2019, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government revoked<\/a> occupied Kashmir\u2019s special status and autonomy by repealing Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. India\u2019s Supreme Court upheld<\/a> the move in December 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n US President Donald Trump has offered to mediate the dispute between the nuclear-armed rivals as far back as his first term. In 2019, Trump told reporters he was willing to intervene<\/a>, but a decision would be up to the leaders of both countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut if they wanted somebody to intervene, to help them [\u2026] and I spoke with Pakistan about that and I spoke frankly in India about it [\u2026] that battle has been going on for a long time. If I can, if they wanted me to, I would certainly intervene,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He was informed that India rejected the offer, to which he replied, \u201cIt is really up to Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2025, following Marka-i-Haq<\/em>, the US State Department reiterated<\/a> Trump\u2019s offer and said each step that he takes \u201cis made to solve generational differences between countries\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump had offered<\/u><\/a> to work on the Kashmir issue after he brokered<\/u><\/a> a ceasefire between Pakistan and India after the two nations\u2019 most intense military confrontation<\/u><\/a> in decades. In a message lauding the countries\u2019 leaders for achieving peace, he remarked, \u201cI will work with both of you to see if, after a \u2018thousand years\u2019, a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Responding to a question on the steps US plans to take in the wake of Trump\u2019s offer, State Department\u2019s spokesperson Tammy Bruce during a White House press briefing noted, \u201cSo, while I can\u2019t speak to his plans, the world knows his nature, and I can\u2019t speak to any details of what he might have in that regard,\u201d adding that the White House would have plenty to say about the matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She further said, \u201c[Trump] has been the only one to bring certain people to the table to have conversations that nobody thought was possible,\u201d remaining hopeful that the Kashmir issue can also get resolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n