US Ambassador Sergio Gor Calls J&K 'Important Part of India' in Srinagar; Pakistan Summons US Chargé d'Affaires

US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, on his first visit to Jammu & Kashmir, told a joint media briefing with J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar on August 19, 2026 that Kashmir 'is an important part of India and an incredibly beautiful place,' praising the Centre and state government's security improvements and signaling the US would reconsider its travel advisory for the region. Gor, who also serves as President Trump's Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, drew an immediate protest from Islamabad: Pakistan's Foreign Office summoned US Chargé d'Affaires Natalie Baker and lodged a 'strong demarche,' calling the remarks 'factually incorrect' and a departure from the US's longstanding position that J&K is a disputed territory whose final status must be resolved per UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.