This is apropos a letter to the Editor titled “Washington’s Kashmir contradiction” carried by the newspaper yesterday.
In my view, however, what makes the US ambassador’s statement particularly disquieting is its apparent departure from the position traditionally maintained by Washington. Successive US administrations have acknowledged the Kashmir dispute and the grave dangers it poses to regional and global security. Former US president Bill Clinton famously described Kashmir as one of the world’s most dangerous places and a nuclear flashpoint. That was hardly an exaggeration. Pakistan and India are nuclear-armed states, and their history demonstrates how quickly tensions over Kashmir can escalate into military confrontation, with consequences extending far beyond the region.
The contradiction is all the more striking given President Donald Trump’s repeated offers to help resolve the Kashmir dispute. Washington cannot credibly offer its services in facilitating a settlement between India and Pakistan while one of its senior representatives publicly describes the disputed territory as simply “an important part of India”.
Nasir Bangash, Quetta
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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