AJK president, rights body deplore US envoy’s Kashmir remarks

AJK president, rights body deplore US envoy's Kashmir remarks. Tariq Naqash Published August 21, 2026 Updated August 21, 2026 07: 07am.

Key points

• The organisation additionally referred to a 1951 US State Department policy paper, "Kashmir Dispute: Future Action".
• The remarks were additionally criticised by Jammu Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party spokesman Advocate Arshad Iqbal.
• Mr Akbar remarked the United States had itself recognised Kashmir as a dispute on various occasions and stressed dialogue and a peaceful settlement.
• Tariq Naqash is a Muzaffarabad-based senior staff correspondent for Dawn with almost three decades of experience in reporting, analysis, and feature writing.
• The disputed status of Jammu & Kashmir cannot be changed by any diplomatic statement.

MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Chaudhry Latif Akbar and the Jammu and Kashmir Council for Human Rights (JKCHR) on Thursday criticised US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor for describing occupied Kashmir as an "important part of India", saying the remarks were at variance with the territory's disputed status and Washington's historical position on the matter.

In separate statements, Mr Akbar termed the ambassador's remarks during his visit to Srinagar "deeply regrettable" and remarked they disregarded the political and historical aspirations of the Kashmiri residents.

He remarked administrative control exercised by one country over part of a disputed territory did not determine or alter its final legal and political status. The Kashmir dispute, he continued, had remained on the UN Security Council's agenda for decades, with a number of resolutions recognising the right of its individuals to determine their future through a free and impartial process.

"The disputed status of Jammu & Kashmir cannot be changed by any diplomatic statement. The future of Kashmir cannot be decided by India or Pakistan alone; it must ultimately be determined by the Kashmiri individuals through the exercise of their fundamental right to self-determination, " he stated.

He pressed Washington and the international community to follow the principles of international law and relevant UN resolutions instead of adopting the narrative of any one party.

Notably, the JKCHR, meanwhile, pressed the US ambassador, the US Embassy in New Delhi and the State Department to revisit Washington's diplomatic and legal record on Kashmir before characterising its final status. It remarked the United States had played a significant role in the UN process for determining the future of held Kashmir, including supporting the appointment of US Admiral Chester W. Nimitz as the UN plebiscite administrator.

Meanwhile, the organisation additionally referred to a 1951 US State Department policy paper, "Kashmir Dispute: Future Action". It it stated had considered the possibility of seeking an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on the legality of the Maharaja's accession to India.

In practice, the JKCHR maintained that the failure to hold the proposed UN-supervised plebiscite did not by itself convert the unresolved dispute into a final settlement.

In practice, the remarks were additionally criticised by Jammu Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party spokesman Advocate Arshad Iqbal. This person stated endorsing the position of one party to the dispute raised questions regarding Washington's commitment to maintaining an impartial and constructive role in its resolution.

Tariq Naqash is a Muzaffarabad-based senior staff correspondent for Dawn with almost three decades of experience in reporting, analysis, and feature writing. His work focuses on politics, conflict, and governance. He can be discovered on X at @tariqnaqash.

Taken together, the developments around AJK president, rights body deplore US envoy's Kashmir remarks point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.