Recently, U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor took the extraordinary step of visiting Srinagar, the summer capital of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, located in the Kashmir Valley in the middle of the Himalayan mountains. Chock-full of ancient gardens, castles, and other wonders, the place might seem like an idyllic spot for a holiday. But this was anything but a vacation from politics. Gor’s trip was a surprising blow to Pakistan and an indication of America’s new tilt toward India. This is a good thing, since Pakistan is a problematic ally.
Pakistan controls about 30 percent of the former Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir, which it seized in a war with India in 1947. The disputed territory was majority Muslim, but the Hindu maharaja acceded to India in the war, and India has controlled 55 percent of the former Princely State since then. The remaining 15 percent, which is mostly uninhabited, is controlled by China. Pakistan’s claim on the entirety of the territory has resulted in countless Pakistani-backed terrorist attacks and several wars between Pakistan and India.
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