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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 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.
