The United Nations Wednesday declined comment on a recent statement by the United States Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, about the status of Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the world body’s position on the decades-old Kashmir dispute remains unchanged.
UN affirms unchanged stance on Kashmir amid diplomatic row over US ambassador’s statement
By Iftikhar Ali
UNITED NATIONS, Aug 26 (APP): The United Nations Wednesday declined comment on a recent statement by the United States Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, about the status of Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the world body’s position on the decades-old Kashmir dispute remains unchanged.
“I am not going to comment on what the ambassador said. Our position remains the same”, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in response to a question at the regular noon briefing at UN Headquarters in New York.
Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Ambassador Gor had described Jammu and Kashmir as an “important part of India”.
The United Nations position on the Kashmir dispute has been that it was an internationally recognized disputed territory and should be resolved peacefully through negotiations and in line with UN Security Council resolutions and the UN Charter.
Following the US Ambassador’s statement, Pakistan strongly reacted and formally protested against Ambassador Gor’s statement when the US top diplomat in Islamabad, Natalie Baker, was summoned to the Foreign Office.
Pakistan categorically rejected the characterization of Jammu and Kashmir as part of India, calling Gor’s statement “factually incorrect”
Over the years, Pakistan has consistently maintained that Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory whose final disposition must be decided by the people of Kashmir through a free and impartial plebiscite under United Nations Security Council resolutions.
