Authorities in New Delhi have dismantled traffic bollards, barricades and queue liners positioned outside the Pakistan High Commission. The structures, including those near the visa section, stood in a lane beyond the mission’s designated perimeter and were removed the day after Pakistan formally objected to recent comments by a senior US official on Jammu and Kashmir.
The clearance follows Pakistan’s strong reaction to remarks made by US Ambassador Sergio Gor during his visit to the region. Islamabad summoned the US charge d’affaires, Natalie Baker, and delivered a formal demarche. Pakistan’s foreign ministry described Gor’s characterisation of Jammu and Kashmir as “a part of India” as factually incorrect, strongly condemned the statement, and rejected it outright. The ministry further argued that the comments ran counter to what it called the United States’ long-standing position on the Kashmir issue.
Gor’s trip marked his first visit to Jammu and Kashmir in six years. It took place against the backdrop of calls from several Kashmiri leaders for a review of the US travel advisory on the region. Opposition figure Mehbooba Mufti specifically urged the ambassador to withdraw the highest-level advisory, noting that it had affected thousands of families whose livelihoods depend on tourism.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met Gor and later said the talks centred on India-US relations with particular attention to the role Washington might play in the region. “We had an opportunity to discuss the relations between our two countries, but with specific focus on what the US can do with Jammu and Kashmir,” Abdullah stated. He added that certain legacy issues remain to be addressed over time and expressed readiness to continue the dialogue.
The United States has consistently maintained that differences between India and Pakistan should be resolved bilaterally. New Delhi has long opposed any third-party mediation on Kashmir. The removal of the security fixtures outside the Pakistani mission is the latest visible development in the current diplomatic exchanges.
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