A significant diplomatic stir has been caused after the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) deleted a social media post featuring a map of India. The map, originally posted on February 7, had shown Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Aksai Chin as integral parts of India, deviating from Washington’s traditional stance.

A Strategic Shift or an Error? The post was made following a landmark trade agreement where President Donald Trump reduced tariffs on Indian goods to 18%. Unlike previous US government maps that depict PoK with a dotted line as “disputed,” this map included all contested regions within the Indian boundary. This was initially seen as a major victory for Indian diplomacy.

Pressure and Retraction The sudden deletion of the post without any explanation suggests a potential diplomatic backtrack, likely due to pressure from China and Pakistan. While India maintains that these regions are its sovereign territory, the US has historically viewed Kashmir as a bilateral issue. President Trump’s repeated offers to mediate have been consistently rejected by India, reaffirming that no third-party intervention is required.