Self-interest of Muslims was apparently hit by PM Modi’s' culture of politics' and the 'politics of culture'

The self-interest of a community — Muslims — was apparently hit by PM Nrendra Modi’s culture of politics and the politics of culture he tried. 

The opposition narratives and media analyses framed these reported differences as a deep leadership tussle or a clash over future political succession.

There were other facets.

The self-interest of a community — Muslims — was apparently hit by Modi’s culture of politics and the politics of culture he tried.

Developments, houses for the poor, including Muslims, good roads and toilets did not matter. Muslims united to vote for the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh.

This was not communal.  But Hindus voting for the Ram temple was communal?

Do not miss the rejoicing in a Pakistani newspaper headline that described Nitish Kumar and N. Chandrababu Naidu as “pro-Muslim” leaders.

Why did the BJP lose Ayodhya and Faizabad? Why did UP voters simply turn anti-BJP and anti-Modi-Yogi? Perhaps more importantly, why could BJP strategists led by Amit Shah and supervised by the prime minister not read the missive of people’s angst?

The Times of India said: “Nothing Shines forever — Not even Brand Modi.”

The BJP and Yogi took some corrective steps in by-elections later, but overall, the 2027 battle will be tough.

The bigger question remains: Can Yogi Adityanath make 2027 “the year of my life”? And, beyond Uttar Pradesh, what could be the next destination of India’s most talked-about chief minister?  

The bigger question remains: Can Yogi Adityanath make 2027 “the year of my life”? And, beyond Uttar Pradesh, what could be the next destination of India’s most talked-about chief minister?   

With Uttar Pradesh heading towards a crucial 2027 Assembly election, a third consecutive victory could strengthen Yogi Adityanath’s position within the BJP and sharpen speculation over his larger national role. 

Saffron-clad Yogi Adityanath, born Ajay Singh Bisht in 1972, is 54 years old. That means he is 22 years younger than Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was born on Sept. 17, 1950.

In 2017 and in several elections after March 2017, Adityanath emerged as the new face of the BJP. There was a problem associated with that. He perhaps became a “direct competitor” to Amit Shah, now a trusted lieutenant of the “numero uno” of Indian politics, Narendra Modi.

Even if both leaders have not said anything about being rivals to one another, the media is convinced they are.  

For long playing up caste cards to the hilt, Mayawati’s BSP and Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party dominated the political mind space in Uttar Pradesh.

Even the defeats of 2017 and 2022 did not change their politics. But in the 2022 Assembly polls and later in the elections to urban local bodies, the Lotus party came out with flying colours.

The BJP managed to pick up 55 of the 147 seats reserved for OBCs.

Akhilesh Yadav also failed to win over non-Yadav OBC votes, and the saffron outfit decided to work well in the Yadav heartland and other areas.

Take another set of statistics.

Out of 82 SC-reserved seats for chairpersons in Nagar Panchayats, the BJP won a maximum of 37, followed by the SP with 14, while Mayawati-led BSP could win only five seats.

It is also worth noting that among OBC candidates fielded by political parties for Nagar Panchayat chairperson seats, 90 of the BJP’s nominees were elected. Independents won 83.  

Out of the 545 Nagar Panchayat chairperson seats, Samajwadi Party candidates won 38, while Mayawati’s BSP got only 23.

Of the 90 OBC candidates of the BJP, 27 were elected in unreserved seats.Politics

Adityanath is the chief priest of the state’s famed Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur, the region where he wields considerable political influence, perhaps also because of his hard-line views on Hindu religion and practice.

But Yogi and the BJP suffered a major setback in the 2024 parliamentary polls. One issue was joblessness among the middle class. Narratives were sold.

A decade before the crucial 2014 polls, the BJP had promised that jobs would be a top priority. Yet unemployment has barely budged despite India being the world’s fastest-growing major economy.

Four-fifths of the unemployed were young people, according to surveys in 2024.

It was also alleged that more working-age women were employed that year as a percentage of the workforce in Nepal and Bangladesh than in India.

The BJP’s detractors sold another powerful line: The fruits of growth were landing in the lap of India’s rich, drawn almost exclusively from the country’s upper castes who back the BJP.  

The Lotus party, a state leader said, had reports that workers in several constituencies, including Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Fatehpur Sikri, Mohanlalganj, Pratapgarh, Kaushambi, Allahabad, Faizabad and Jaunpur, were not happy with the choice of candidates. But the objections were overlooked.

The argument was that Modi’s magic would help sail the boat. It did not. In contrast, Akhilesh Yadav choreographed his Samajwadi Party’s election strategy around the theme of ...

“Roti, Kapada sasti ho and Dawai Pani muft ho” — people should get affordable food, clothing and free medicine and water.  And it gave dividends.

Perceived friction between Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Amit Shah became a major talking point after the electoral setbacks, notably after the BJP’s reduced tally in Uttar Pradesh.

The opposition narratives and media analyses framed these reported differences as a deep leadership tussle or a clash over future political succession.

Naga Christian Voters : Can they vote for Yogi  

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“Kolkatae war nei” — there is no chaos and violence in Kolkata, says a Bangladeshi girl - aged 10 now staying in Kolkata ... Thanks to 2024 ouster of the Awami League Govt and leaders

Imagine the fate of Bangladeshi Hindus who happened to be supporters of the Awami League and an elected prime minister named Sheikh Hasina.

Visit Kolkata and parts of West Bengal and Assam, and you will find these elements.

I once met a 10-year-old girl from such a background and casually asked her: “Which city is better for you, Kolkata or Dhaka?”
She did not answer specifically.
She merely said: 

“Kolkatae war nei” — there is no chaos and violence in Kolkata. Imagine what will permanently stay in her memories. Partition has also been blamed on Mahatma Gandhi. 

The impact of Partition on a Muslim family is depicted well in the Hindi film Garam Hawa.  

From the trauma of 1947 to the continuing hostility between India and Pakistan and the Bangladesh paradigm, Partition remains one of the defining ruptures in the history of the subcontinent.

“Partition’s pain can never be forgotten,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in 2021 as he announced that August 14 would be remembered as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day.

The conference in New Delhi on June 7, 1947, where the Partition plan was disclosed: Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister; Lord Ismay, adviser to Mountbatten; Lord Louis Mountbatten, Viceroy of India; and Muhammad Ali Jinnah, president of the All-India Muslim League.Downloading Interactive Geographic Maps

We may look for all kinds of debates and arguments, but the fact of the matter is that the very concept of the nation had completely changed after Partition. 

Ironically, that element of change or transition is still a permanent feature.  

In film 'Garam Hawa', Balraj Sahni gave a performance of his life. He did not live long enough to see the film’s release and commercial success.  Salim Mirza, played by Balraj Sahni, does not want to leave India.

Salim’s two siblings migrate to Pakistan. Halim, the politician, realises he must move to Pakistan to flourish, taking his son Kazim.

Salim’s daughter, Amina, hopes to marry Kazim. But there is a twist. Once Kazim’s marriage to a politician’s daughter in Pakistan is decided, he runs away to Agra to meet Amina. But he is now “deported” for failing to register with the police because he is a citizen of a hostile country.

Garam Hawa maps real-life stories of how economic discrimination, along with the curses of Partition, property loss and societal shifts, slowly breaks apart the Mirza household.

There is one dialogue in Garam Hawa that should generate interest in contemporary polity. Balraj Sahni asks the character: “How come you are in Congress? You were all for Muslim League?”

The response is: “These days, post-Partition, Congress party gives us much importance.”

In Ritwik Ghatak’s Bengali film Meghe Dhaka Tara (The Cloud-Capped Star), the character Nita cries out: 

“Dada, ami bachtey chai” — “Brother, I want to live.”

This comes at the end of the film, as she realises that all her life she has been exploited, thanks to Partition, her selfish family members and siblings. 

In the film, Supriya Choudhury plays Nita. Her elder brother Shankar, played by Anil Chatterjee, is unemployed but pursues his career as a classical singer. The younger brother wants to be a player, while the father is a former schoolteacher and does little to sustain the Partition-hit family.  

Blogger 

Angry protesters often marched to Birla House to voice their protest.

In the words of Manohar Malgonkar in his book 'The Men Who Killed Gandhi': 

“…when it turned out that the Muslim League was altogether unappeaseable, the Congress began to show signs of giving in to their demand for Pakistan, but Savarkar and his followers (that included Godse certainly) remained staunchly opposed to it till the very end, and so, to be fair, did a large number of people within the Congress organisation itself.”

It would be pertinent here to say that strangeness has always not only made history interesting — it has guided the course of history itself.

The two men, Narayan Apte and Godse, the elder of the two, were so different in personality. Yet, ironically, both had become the closest of friends. And they set out on a mission.

On a different plane, the real blame for Partition should have gone to those who went off in search of paradise in the new country.  

But the “real tragedy”, according to M.J. Akbar — and I endorse that — is that the price of Partition is not being paid by the people who got Pakistan but “by the Muslims in India” who stayed back and trusted their Hindu and Sikh brethren.

This is the irony and a melancholic turn. The fine line between moral courage and entitlement is often not understood well.

Hope is what rebuilds nations because people believe in its worth.

In the case of Pakistan and India, too, this was the norm. India set out on its own journey of nation-making, while Pakistan opted to work for ways and means to defeat its bigger neighbour. The results are well known.

We may now examine: 

What would have been the course of Indian history had protagonists like Mountbatten not come around to decide about India’s history?

Were the likes of Churchill already looking for a scapegoat in Mountbatten to pull them out of the mess?

Were the likes of Churchill already looking for a scapegoat in Mountbatten to pull them out of the mess?

“On the other hand, the Indian political scene had offered five foremost protagonists then to be dealt with effectively and individually, then collectively. 

The famous five — Mahatma Gandhi, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Jawaharlal Nehru, 

Liaquat Ali Khan and 

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel — were already divided politically…”

The Muslim League didn’t care about independence. All it wanted was Pakistan.  So the archrivals, the Muslim League and the Congress, which had never seen eye to eye about anything, finally found a common cause: the India-Pakistan split.

Both parties were shocked to see the Radcliffe Line, the boundary that demarcated India and Pakistan.   

It was too late. The subcontinent could never really recover from the bloody aftermath of Partition.

But what was our Partition? And, more importantly, did the history-makers and historians miss the bloodbath and the post-1947 pattern of permanent hostility between India and Pakistan?

Would India of today be different without the chief protagonist of the Partition theory — Mountbatten himself?

“If somebody had told me he’s going to be dead in X months, would I then say let’s hold back India together and not divide it? Would I have put back the clock and held the position? Most probably,” 

Mountbatten reportedly told Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre in exhaustive interviews later in the 1970s.

(courtesy - The Raisina Hills) 

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'New' team will be good for hard work and actions; ... importance of "experienced" in decision can never be ignored ::: Thematic push in first meeting of BJP national office bearers

Old -- good for decision making ... 

... while New is good for action !!

 

BJP president Nitin Nabin is his maiden interaction with the newly appointed office-bearers in a special meeting also attended by the outgoing office bearers underlined importance of “Yuva Samvad” -- that is continuous engagement with the young people - of course Gen Z included. 

The thematic push in the meeting was -- while 'new' and young faces will be good for hard work and actions; the importance of the old and experienced in decision making can never be ignored or underestimated.   

Interactions also dealt party’s organisational strategies, focus for upcoming Assembly elections including UP, Punjab and Manipur. There was an exphasis for  

grassroots mobilisation and effective communication of government initiatives and result-oriented scheme. 

The office bearers and others have also been asked to draw out various programmes and outreach efforts for a month beginning Modi's birthday - Sept 17th. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the BJP’s 'newly appointed' national office-bearers at the party headquarters in New Delhi on Saturday, their first meeting since party president Nitin Nabin unveiled his 65-member team on August 17.

“Organisational meetings are all about new ideas and perspectives aimed at strengthening the party and deepening its connect with the people. Great interaction with fellow party colleagues and the new organisational team,” PM Modi wrote on X after the meeting.

Notably, 51 of the 65 office-bearers are new faces. Two key Muslim leaders in Uttar Pradesh have been elevated.    

Team Modi-Nitin Nabin for coming decade 

PM Modi spent nearly four-and-a-half hours with the new team at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, marking their first meeting since BJP president Nitin Nabin announced the 65-member team on August 17.  

The BJP is planning major youth outreach programmes targeting people aged 14 and above, including members of Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

The party is also forming dedicated teams of senior leaders from across the country for the outreach drive. The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha has been tasked with helping constitute and mobilise these teams, while former national office-bearers are also expected to play a key role.

Modi also held separate meetings with Nitin Nabin, BL Santosh and Shivkumar during his visit to the party headquarters.

In his meeting with Nabin, the Prime Minister discussed the names being considered for the BJP Parliamentary Board. 

The names of the new members are expected to be announced soon.

                                                                   

SUNDAY Spl ::::: Bengali folk 'Baul songs' enthrall Delhi audience ::: Baul Music can give a stage where religious belief and Pluralism stand side by side

 The musical number - 

আমার নাম কালো কৃষ্ণ বেদে।
আমার ঘর বাড়ি নাই, 

Aamar Naam Kalo Krishno Bede/ Aamar Ghor Barie Nai ... and a few others mesmerized a sizable Delhi audience.  

I have no home, no dwelling of my own, 

I wander from place to place; I catch snakes in forests, jungles and lakes

— My name is Kalo Krishno, the Bede. 

Most of those in the audience were north Indians. They might have had challenges in understanding word to word the heart-touching lyrics; nevertheless the power of Music is always universal. This definition comes to the fore more easily and 'emotionally powerful' with Baul songs.   

This variety of folk songs from West Bengal as well as Bangladesh is anchored in the “man of the heart”, a mystical theme that represents inner selves. -- “Moner Manush” !! 

The singer of the evening was Nilkanta Das from Tripura. The show was organised by a group of social workers - mostly women from India and also Bangladesh. 

The show was the valedictory session of Taanabana. The three-day exhibition of 'embroidery' dealt with rebellion-variety messages on women empowerment. What does a woman feel inside a bus ... that has not reached the destination or a roadside toilet on time ? 

Does human existence clash with the spirit of the Moner Manush along the international borders ?  

"We do not claim that embroidery undoes what borders do", says one of the organisers. 

Coming back to our focus area about Baul songs; Nilkanta says: "A Baul song is essentially connected to roots ... I sing songs those speak about human existence .. about nature, body, mind and land". 

As practical but often pessimistic as it may sound, this world is ravaged by greed and conflicts. 

Baul songs can offer some answers .. while taking its followers to the world of mysticism, peace and universalism. 

Interacting with the blogger - Nilkanta explains rather shyly :

"The Baul songs are grounded in Hindu bhakti movements and Sufism of Islam.. You can have a stage where a strong religious belief and the spirit of pluralism can stand side by side".  

Dr Nilkanta 

Mesmerized by the lyrics .... in effect after a long gap of a few decades; --my last exposure to a fest of Baul lyrics and music was in the late eighties in Shillong - I did some surfing on net.  

I discover the protagonist Lalon Shah, an influential icon in the Baul movement in Bangaldesh, who had highlighted the significance of  humanity first in his number - 

“manush bhojle shonar manush hobi”,

Blogger and the Baul singer 

There is another. Baul Rashid Uddin’s “Manush dhoro Manush bhojo”  (focus on man, worship thy man) == 

the lyricist urges people to put humans first because God can be found in humanity alone. 

Born in 1933 in Birbhum district, West Bengal, India, Purna Das Baul Samrat is considered a legend. 

In 2013, the UPA regime had conferred upon him the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth-highest civilian award.  

As a matter of fact,  Dr Rajendra Prasad, first President of India, had acknowledged Purna Das as the 'Baul Samrat' way back in 1967.

The underlining messages of Baul songs find similarities in the spirit of the poems (dohas) of Kabir.  

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Sonia, Rahul Gandhi "gift" to Namo post-Jantar Mantar fiasco ::: "Two mega self goals" by Congress --- Vande Mataram flip flop and Dimagi Naxal narratives by 'pellet gun FIR'

"Jeet ke haar ne waley ko Congress party kaheten haen" --  

"The Congress party is very adept at cutting their nose to spite their face," remarked Biju Janata Dal MP Pinaki Mishra in Aug 2023. 

Congress does not realise that Vande Mataram is not about a Hindu prayer glorifying Durga. It was a war cry... and song used those days against Britishers. Moreover; there is no Muslim League to pacify in 2026. Even Muslims of new century may say - this is a non issue.

 

Aug 21 - LoP "achievements" include an FIR against security forces 

Things were not at all favourable for the BJP or the Modi Govt; they were looking for windows to change the political narratives. And see, how Congress scored two mega self goals -- and indirectly offering the BJP escape route on the platter. 

The two self goals are -  Vande Mataram flip flop and Dimagi Naxal narratives by 'pellet gun FIR' of Aug 21. Of the two - Vande Mataram is the 'self goal' of the decade which would haunt Congress once the impact of the fallout starts showing electorally and on ground. 

In fact, left to me - I would say Vande Mataram flip flop by Congress only to appeal to a section of Muslims  (that also by fluke) is akin to the blunder of 2007 (Gujarat polls) - when Sonia had described Narendra Modi as the Maut Ka Saudagar (merchant of death). It boomeranged notwithstanding English newspapers, 'sickular' TV anchors hyping those and western press glorifying the Italy-born-Indian politician. If that similie is not enough - its akin to Chowkidar Chor hae slogan by Rahul and his chamchas.    

For their part, PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah acted smart and allowed Rahul to draw media mileage for about six hours. 

The short term gain was one-day 'heroism' act by the T-short-clad LoP. But the long term damage is immense. The FIR on pellet gun is against the security forces for opening the 'fire'. It was part of the minimum action by security forces. 

The RAF is authorized to use pellet guns and perhaps the 'standard operation' for Delhi police does not allow this.   

The Congress party already has an image of being anti-security forces. Leaders like Sandeep Dikshit have earlier used the phrase 'sadak ke goondey' for army chief. It has in the past opposed Rafale and mocked Indian forces for Surgical strike in 2016 and also for Operation Sindoor.  

The 'immature' Congress team and Rajya Sabha "self style intellectual Jairam Ramesh' will never understand the long term damage of such hyped publicity. Today or tomorrow, Delhi police would have to file that FIR. 

This happens with leaders who are out of touch of ground reality. 

Moreover, the entire range of issues related to Jantar Mantar stir and police actions on July 20 and 21 are now under the probe of a Supreme Court appointed panel. A mere FIR on use of pellet gun cannot corner Home Minister of India - which is Rahul's political target.    

Similarly, the Vande Mataram fiasco. In 1937, the move of using only two stanza from the song could be understood. It was to keep the Muslim Leage pacified because the Partition plans were still far off. 

But in 2026 - on the 80th year of Indian independence and 150th year of the Vande Taram song- only an unwise team (again far from ground reality) would do things what unfolded at the Congress office. 

Jairam Ramesh also needs to learn that the four letters S,T,O,P do not make (notwithstanding all spins) make the word 'chair' for Kharge. Such a poor attempt by a former RD and Environment minister whose pro-NGO and pro-Naxal tilt is well known. The big damage has been done. 

Even Muslim voters and perhaps  - a larger section of educated lot - are already saying Vande Mataram is not our issue. 

Moreover, a law has been passed and the Congress staged a walkout while it was being passed. Now, it is saying we will not follow the rule of the land. 

A former Congress leader's widow- Sharmila Tagore joining the issue makes things worse. On the silver screen and otherwise - she was hardly shy and by marrying into Pataudi family; she had nothing to do with being (or not being Tagore). 

The BJP will now play up this 'cultural nationalism' issue. It has a large number of vote-base and fan-following who like these issues. 'Vande Matarm' ka insult ... would be a vote-garner tool for the BJP for next year's seven states polls - including the likes of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh and even Punjab - where nationalism is a good political issue.

Privately or otherwise - Team Modi should thank Rahul-Sonia-Kharge (assisted by Jairam/ Jai-rahim) for two self goals. 

It could not have come at a better time for the Lotus party - which is gearing up and smarting up from the Jantar Mantar flip flop.

They can even send some pizza and pastries to the Congress headquarters. 

Blogger in Nagaland 

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NIA to send court summons to Hafiz Saeed in Pahalgam terror attack case ::: Summons, directing Saeed to appear before the special NIA court in Jammu will be routed via Foreign Ministry

NIA to send court summons to Hafiz Saeed in Pahalgam terror attack case

The summons, directing Saeed to appear before the special NIA court in Jammu for trial, will be routed through the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). 

If Saeed does not appear despite the completion of the required legal process, the court may try him in his absence under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

The attack took place in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025. The case was initially registered by Pahalgam Police before the Union Home Ministry transferred the investigation to the NIA. 

The National Investigation Agency court has already issued a non-bailable warrant against Saeed.

 
The Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba founder been accused of being one of the masterminds behind the April 2025 attack, in which 25 tourists - all Hindus - and another person were killed.  

The law provides permits to a court to conduct an inquiry or trial and pronounce judgment against a proclaimed offender who has absconded to evade proceedings and has no immediate prospect of arrest.

Before initiating a trial in absentia, the court must complete several procedural requirements. 

These include issuing two consecutive arrest warrants and publishing a notice directing the proclaimed offender to appear.

The trial cannot begin until 90 days have passed from the date on which charges were framed. If the accused is not represented, the state must provide an advocate for his defence.

HAFIZ SAEED NAMED IN SUPPLEMENTARY CHARGESHEET

The NIA named Saeed in a supplementary chargesheet filed in July, arraigning him in his individual capacity and as the head of the banned LeT and its proxy outfit, The Resistance Front.  

The original chargesheet, filed on December 15, 2025, named seven accused, including alleged Pakistani handler Sajid Jatt and the banned LeT/TRF as a legal entity.

It also named three Pakistani terrorists — Faisal Jatt alias Suleman Shah, Habeeb Tahir alias Jibran and Hamza Afghani — who were killed by security forces during Operation Mahadev in Dachigam in July 2025.

Two local residents, Parvaiz Ahmad and Bashir Ahmad Jothad, were arrested on allegations of harbouring the terrorists.

The accused were charged under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Arms Act and the UAPA. The NIA invoked charges including waging war against India and alleged that the conspiracy had been directed from Pakistan.

Last year at a public function in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that the first terrorist attack in Kashmir after Partition should have been dealt with decisively in 1947, as today's terrorism is a distorted continuation of that long-standing threat.  

"And it was Sardar Patel's wish that until POK is taken back, the army should not stop. But Sardar Sahib’s words were not followed," the Prime Minister said.  

He said: "And the bloodshed by these mujahideen has been continuing for the last 75 years. 

What happened in Pahalgaon was just a distorted form of the same. ...The Indian Army has defeated Pakistan every time. Pakistan understood that it cannot win against India".  

The Prime Minister said the terrorist activities against India are “not a proxy war” carried out by non-state actors, but “a well-planned war by Pakistan". 

"Terrorism isn't proxy war, it is your war strategy. You are waging war on us," he said, referring to cross-border terrorism.

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Since abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, Evolution of 'US position' on Kashmir has been significant ::::: India "sees no reason to comment on Pakistan’s frustration"

Diplomacy is not only what you say. It's often what you do not say ! And hence it is also - how you say !!  

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesman - Randhir Jaiswal says: "…I see no reason to comment on Pakistan’s frustration".

He was commenting on US envoy's latest visit to Jammu and Kashmir.  

US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, supposedly handpicked by Donald Trump, visited Srinagar on August 20, 2026, marking his first trip to Jammu and Kashmir. 

During a joint appearance with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Gor described the region as an "important part of India" and hinted that Washington might review its Level 4 travel advisory. 

His remarks prompted Pakistan to summon the top U.S. diplomat in Islamabad in protest.

Jaiswal was assertive: “I will repeat, Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and indivisible parts of India. They were, they are, and they will remain so…I see no reason to comment on Pakistan’s frustration.”

Pakistan had summoned the US Charge d'Affaires and lodged a protest stating that Gor’s remarks regarding the status of Jammu and Kashmir were “factually incorrect” and “contradictory” to Washington's longstanding position on Kashmir.  

Since Aug 5, 2019, after the abrogation of Article 370, the evolution of the US position on J&K has been significant. Firstly, the high profile international episode saw least interference by the Trump 1.0 administration in 2019-2020.  

The visit by Gor, who also serves as President Donald Trump’s special envoy for South and Central Asia, was the first standalone trip by a serving US ambassador to Indian-administered Kashmir since 2019, and the first since India stripped the territory of its autonomy that year.

His remarks were made publicly, alongside Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, adding to Islamabad’s irritation.

The episode also comes at a delicate moment for Washington’s ties with both South Asian rivals.

The US now tries to balance the 'relationship' beteen Islamabad and New Delhi against its strategic partnership with India. On the other hand, Pakistan is trying court Trump’s administration more closely than it has in years more out of geo-political compulsions. 

The Operation Sindoor in May 2025 has left Pakistan - shell-shocked and exposed in more ways than one.   

Gor also said Washington was reconsidering its “do not travel” advisory for J&K citing improved security since 2019. For Pakistan, US language on Kashmir’s disputed status is an important external validation of its effort to internationalise the issue.  

“This is a beautiful area. I think a lot of Americans would enjoy coming here and seeing the beauty,” the US envoy had said.  

Gor's remarks on the travel advisory are particularly significant to Jammu and Kashmir’s efforts to expand its international tourism footprint and attract visitors from the United States and other Western countries.  

Gor's visit and meeting with J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah signals both acknowledgement and engagement with the UT’s first elected government post the 2019 constitutional changes. The National Conference wants earlier restoration of statehood for the province.   

In January 2020, Kenneth Juster, the then US Ambassador, had been to J&K as a member of  Modi government-facilitated delegation of 15 foreign envoys. 

This also coincided with Trump’s plans for a visit to India in February that year.

Two American delegations also travelled to Kashmir. 

In May 2023, a US delegation attended a G20 working group meeting on tourism. Another delegation from the US embassy visited in August 2024, before the elections in the Union Territory. 

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