Triggering a fresh controversy, the US State Department has posted a map of India which reflects the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir with dotted lines, thereby projecting it as a disputed territory. There was no immediate response from the Indian embassy in Washington if it was satisfied with the latest India map posted by the US State Department on its website. Following strong protest from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the US State Department in November had removed from its website a map of India which showed a portion of Jammu and Kashmir as part of Pakistan. A similar map from its travel website was also removed. US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland had told reporters at that time that such an error was unintentional. She said the map had “some inaccuracies which were associated with the boundaries of some geographic features”.
Meanwhile, Nuland said the US State Department had not posted a new map of India on its website and the one showing the 1972 Line of Control in “dotted lines” had been there previously. “We have not yet replaced the maps that we had to take down that were incorrect. And when we do, we’ll let you know, and we’ll walk you through the whole thing,” she said. “I think the one that you’re referring to is not a new map on the website,” Nuland said when asked about the map of India and its neighbouring country posted on the homepage of the South and Central Asia Bureau of the State Department.
