Last week, the US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor’s words—that “This (Jammu and Kashmir) is an important part of India”—made headlines across the country, and  Pakistan of course found it as its duty to challenge the statement, reinforcing the divide that the two countries have on the status of this Union Territory. The cheerleaders of this  important part of India are delirious, as if the American envoy had brought  the moon to their homes , forgetting the reality  that J&K has  been  an integral part of India since October 1947. These leaders and cheerleaders in the Indian media had a reason to celebrate the moment, the place, and the words: the US,  as a superpower , had hesitated in acknowledging this reality. Contrary to this, Washington had been active in creating hurdles. It had challenged the accession of the state of Jammu and Kashmir to India and even  suggested solutions  which fit hostile  frames to the Indian thinking and stand. In that sense, it is a diplomatic victory. 

And, of course, Pakistan has always been a protagonist of  Kashmir being a “disputed” territory. So there is nothing new about the way Pakistan’s  Foreign Office reacted. The biggest shock for Islamabad was that the US, which has been its ally ever since it was born in 1947, endorsed the Indian stand for Jammu and Kashmir. In diplomacy, stands are taken in national interests, they are not driven by emotions. America is a ruthless player in diplomacy. Gor’s words, too, were diplomatic. He used, “This is an important part of India,” that too in Srinagar – the........

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