According to Michael Kugelman, Senior Fellow for South Asia at the Atlantic Council and an expert in foreign affairs, US Ambassador Sergio Gor’s journey to Jammu and Kashmir may improve India-US relations, but it also runs the risk of causing an unanticipated wedge with Pakistan.
He clarified that while Islamabad and Rawalpindi would vehemently oppose Gor’s declaration of the area as a “significant part of India,” New Delhi would embrace it.
Kugelman emphasized that although US-Pakistan relations had been doing well lately, the envoy’s remarks in Srinagar may change this course.
He said that the comments would not be well taken by Pakistan’s leadership and called the development a “unexpected bump” for Washington’s relations with that country.
He emphasized the disparate effects on Washington’s regional allies. Gor’s remarks, which included his suggestion that the US would relax its travel advisory for Kashmir, were viewed as a very encouraging sign for India.
Gor’s visit has given the US-India relationship the energy it needs, according to Kugelman. He pointed out that New Delhi will take the envoy’s remarks as a clear endorsement of its stance on Kashmir.
Kugelman, however, cautioned against assuming that Gor’s comments signify a formal change in US foreign policy. He stressed that although the visit is important, it might not yet point to a structural realignment of Washington’s position and suggested waiting for details from the US embassy before making judgments.
Additionally, he contextualized the visit within a broader diplomatic framework. Since India’s Operation Sindoor, which was carried out last year to exact revenge for the terror attack in Pahalgam, this was the first time a US ambassador has visited Jammu and Kashmir.
Kugelman remembered that President Donald Trump had earlier approached the matter in an unusual way, claiming to have mediated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan and stating that he wanted to assist both parties in resolving the Kashmir dispute. In light of this, Gor’s visit had additional significance.
Kugelman added that relaxing travel restrictions for US nationals would be a significant diplomatic win for India. In line with New Delhi’s long-term diplomatic objectives after Article 370 was abrogated in 2019, such a move would indicate that the region’s security conditions have improved on a global scale.
He clarified that India has worked to get Kashmir recognized internationally as a normalized area devoid of the kinds of violence and instability that formerly characterized it.
The analyst came to the conclusion that although Gor’s visit is a significant improvement for US-India relations, it also creates new challenges for Washington’s relations with Pakistan. In South Asia, where strategic objectives with both partners frequently overlap, the dual impact highlights the difficult balance the United States must maintain.
