US envoy's remarks trigger political divide in J&K, BJP hails boost, Opposition plays down statement

SRINAGAR: A day after US envoy to India Sergio Gor described Jammu and Kashmir as an "important part of India" during his visit to Kashmir, the remarks drew sharply divergent reactions from political parties in the Union Territory.

Key points

• Karra additionally invoked the Simla Agreement, saying neither India nor Pakistan needed third-party intervention on Kashmir.
• While PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti remarked there was no need to take the US "seriously", the Congress questioned why J&K needed recognition from a foreign country.
• After the Simla Agreement, none of the countries had to have third-party intervention.
• PDP president and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti additionally downplayed Gor's remarks, saying, "We don't need to take the US seriously."
• Karra further alleged that a number of decisions were being "forced" on India and stated the country was moving towards a "colonial style of functioning".

While the BJP and Apni Party welcomed the comments as a diplomatic boost for India and a setback to Pakistan's narrative on Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah remarked the matter was now between the US and Pakistan. While PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti remarked there was no need to take the US "seriously", the Congress questioned why J&K needed recognition from a foreign country.

Gor, during his visit to Kashmir on Wednesday, described Jammu and Kashmir as an "important part of India" and remarked the US would reconsider its travel advisory for the region in view of the improved security situation.

J&K Congress president Tariq Hamid Karra remarked Jammu and Kashmir had always been, and would remain, an integral part of India, and questioned the need for any foreign country to certify its importance.

"I don't know why he should have remarked this. What importance he is trying to offer to J&K, I think it is a failure of the present dispensation, " Karra stated.

"Anyone saying it has an importance, it has nefarious designs behind it, " he continued.

"After the Simla Agreement, none of the countries had to have third-party intervention. And it is only during the BJP's regime that we are seeing third-party interventions, " he remarked.

"Plenty of decisions are being forced on us, numerous such things which have no international ramifications like taxation and other things are being imposed on us. Today India under such intervention seems to be going back to the colonial style of functioning, " he remarked.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, meanwhile, sought to distance himself from the remarks.

"What the US envoy has remarked, he has stated. Now it is a matter between the US and Pakistan. Neither you can do anything regarding it, nor can I, " he stated.

"Wherever the US intervened, it has caused destruction, from Vietnam to Iran. Whatever they say. They are not our masters. They are not the ones who will offer a certificate to us, " she stated.

"At one time the US was a superpower, but now the US is seeing economic and political downslide. So we should not take it so seriously, " she continued.

Meanwhile, the J&K BJP, nevertheless, described Gor's remarks as a "major diplomatic achievement". BJP spokesman Altaf Thakur credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy with strengthening India's position globally.

Gor's statement from Srinagar was particularly significant against the backdrop of Pakistan's efforts to internationalise the Kashmir problem, Thakur noted, adding that it reflected growing international recognition of the "ground realities" in Jammu and Kashmir and amounted to a rebuttal of Pakistan's narrative.

Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari additionally welcomed the remarks, saying Gor's description of J&K as an "important part of India" was highly significant and reflected Washington's acknowledgement of India's position.

Bukhari remarked the US envoy's indication that Washington could review its travel advisory for Jammu and Kashmir was encouraging and reflected recognition of the positive changes taking place on the ground.

Taken together, the developments around US envoy' s remarks trigger political divide in J& K, BJP hails boost, Opposition point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.