Pakistan Says It Contacted US Over Map Showing POK as Part of India; Welcomes Deletion as 'Correction'

New Delhi: Islamabad has confirmed that it contacted the United States after a map shared from accounts linked to the Office of the United States Trade Representative depicted the entire region of Kashmir, including Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and China-held Aksai Chin, as part of India. Islamabad said its communication with US authorities took place soon after the graphic was posted and before it was subsequently deleted by US authorities.

Addressing the matter, Tahir Andrabi, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, said Islamabad formally raised the matter, stating that officials in Washington subsequently acknowledged the concern. “As regards the map, yes, this map was put up at certain handles. We contacted US authorities. They realized that this map was illegal”, he said, adding that Pakistan considers depictions showing the entire territory of Jammu and Kashmir within India’s borders to be inaccurate.

Andrabi maintained that what Pakistan describes as the internationally recognized representation of the region is reflected in materials associated with the United Nations. He said Islamabad believes such depictions “clearly delineate Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory whose settlement is to be done through a UN-administered plebiscite in accordance with the resolutions of the UN Security Council”.

The spokesperson added that Pakistan “noted with satisfaction” that the US side made what he described as a corrective step by deleting the post containing the map. US authorities have not publicly issued a detailed explanation for the removal or confirmed whether it followed diplomatic communication.

The controversy began after a graphic shared alongside information related to an India-US trade framework displayed India’s political boundaries without markings typically used to denote disputed territories. Official maps from United States governments often use dashed lines or annotations to show contested regions, making the depiction notable.

The development marks the latest diplomatic exchange tied to cartographic representations involving POK and Aksai Chin. Pakistan’s statement underscores that it raised objections immediately after the map surfaced and views the deletion as acknowledgment of its concerns. The United States, however, has not publicly clarified whether the graphic was removed due to diplomatic feedback, internal review, or technical reasons.

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