Washington, DC [US], August 19 (ANI): Foreign affairs expert and Senior Fellow, South Asia at the Atlantic Council, Michael Kugelman said on Wednesday that while US Ambassador Sergio Gor's visit to Jammu-Kashmir today and him recognising the region as an "important part of India" would provide a "much-needed boost" to New Delhi, it would create an unexpected rift in US-Pakistan relations.
Analysing the diplomatic fallout from the envoy's Srinagar trip, Kugelman noted that while the engagement provides a welcome momentum to India-US relations, it is likely to meet strong resistance in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
"At a moment when US-Pakistan relations have really been sailing along, the comments that the US Ambassador made in Kashmir will not go down well in Islamabad or Rawalpindi," Kugelman stated. "So I think that this is a bit of an unexpected bump for US-Pakistan relations."
Highlighting the contrasting impact on Washington's regional partners, Kugelman pointed out that the ambassador's statement, including calling Kashmir an important part of India and suggesting a potential downgrade of the US travel advisory, serves as a major positive signal for New Delhi.
"Certainly the US-India relationship is in need of a boost. And the fact that Gor went to Kashmir and also the fact that he said the US would look at easing the travel advisory, and indeed... his comments taken literally that Kashmir is an important part of India... that's something that clearly would be received well in New Delhi." So I think that at a moment when the relationship can benefit from a boost, I think it's gotten one," he stated.
However, Kugelman urged caution regarding whether the remarks signal a formal realignment of Washington's foreign policy stance on the Kashmir issue.
"Let's wait and see, let's see what the US embassy has to say after this visit. I don't think there's been a statement yet. Let's see if there's any clarifications made to what Ambassador Gor said. So I think we have to be careful not to jump to conclusions too soon. But yes... I think it does represent a much-needed boost for the bilateral relationship," he cautioned.
Earlier, Kugelman pointed out that the US Ambassador Sergio Gor's visit to Jammu and Kashmir occurs against an "unconventional" diplomatic backdrop, particularly following the US President Donald Trump's past commentary on mediating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan following Operation Sindoor conducted by India to avenge the terror attack in Pahalgam last year.
"The visit is significant because this is the first time that we've had a US Ambassador travel there since Operation Sindoor. There have been previous US Ambassadors that have visited the region, but there has been some time. And I think, particularly in light of the fact that the Trump administration has taken a bit of an unconventional approach to the issue in terms of President Trump repeatedly claiming that he mediated the ceasefire between India and Pakistan last year, and also given President Trump's comment last year that he would like to help the two sides find a solution to Kashmir. These are things that are very unusual for US policy. So against that backdrop of an unconventional administration, I think it's notable that we have the US Ambassador traveling to Kashmir against that backdrop," he stated.
Kugelman pointed out that easing travel restrictions for US citizens would serve as a prominent global endorsement of security improvements in the region, which the US envoy described as an "important part of India."
"If the US were to follow through on that and ease the travel advisory, I think that would be a major victory for the Indian government, which has been looking for governments and countries broadly speaking to view Kashmir as a normalized region, one that is not suffering from the significant levels of violence and security threats that it has previously," Kugelman stated.
He further noted that such a step directly aligns with New Delhi's long-term diplomatic goals following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. (ANI)
US envoy's J-K visit boosts India ties but threatens "unexpected rift" with Pakistan: Foreign affairs expert Michael Kugelman
