Pakistan said it contacted the United States after a US Trade Representative map incorrectly showed Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Aksai Chin within Indian territory, after which Washington deleted the post.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said that Islamabad had contacted Washington after a map posted by the US Trade Representative showed Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Aksai Chin within Indian territory, a move that has caused considerable embarrassment for the country. The map, which marked a clear departure from Washington’s earlier depictions of the region, was deleted later.
Red-faced over the India map shared in a social media post by the top US official’s office, the ministry said Pakistan had taken up the matter with US officials, pointing out that the depiction was inaccurate and did not conform to the UN-recognised representation of the region.
“The map was put up by certain handles. We contacted US authorities. They realised that the map was incorrect. The international map on J&K, which delineates Pakistani and Indian territories, is legally sanctioned by the UN. If you go to the UN website, you will see the actual map,” the Ministry’s spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said in a briefing.
He added that Pakistan “notes with satisfaction that the US side made the requisite corrections to highlight the legal UN-sanctioned map of our region, which clearly delineates J&K as a disputed territory, whose settlement is to be done through a UN-administered plebiscite in accordance with UNSC resolutions”.
India and the United States announced a framework for a trade deal last week, resetting tariffs to lower levels and opening access to an economy worth over USD 30 trillion. While releasing details of the agreement, the Office of the US Trade Representative also published a map of India depicting the entire Jammu and Kashmir region, including Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), as part of the country. The map also included Aksai Chin, which China claims to be part of its territory.
Though India’s territorial sovereignty does not require validation from the United States, the move marked a departure from Washington’s long-standing practice.
However, as speculation mounted over whether it was an error or a carefully calibrated repositioning amid a broader reset in bilateral ties, the US Trade Representative’s office moved to put the debate to rest by deleting the post entirely from its official X account.
