MUZAFFARABAD(National Times)- 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 issue.
In separate statements, Mr Akbar termed the ambassador’s remarks during his visit to Srinagar “deeply regrettable” and said they disregarded the political and historical aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
He said 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 added, had remained on the UN Security Council’s agenda for decades, with several resolutions recognising the right of its people to determine their future through a free and impartial process.
Mr Akbar said the United States had itself recognised Kashmir as a dispute on various occasions and stressed dialogue and a peaceful settlement.
“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 people through the exercise of their fundamental right to self-determination,” he said.
He urged 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.
The JKCHR, meanwhile, urged 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 said 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.
The organisation also referred to a 1951 US State Department policy paper, “Kashmir Dispute: Future Action”, which it said 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.
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.
The remarks were also criticised by Jammu Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party spokesman Advocate Arshad Iqbal, who said endorsing the position of one party to the dispute raised questions about Washington’s commitment to maintaining an impartial and constructive role in its resolution.
