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Journalism of Courage
US President Donald Trump Thursday told reporters that if both India and Pakistan wanted any help or intervention to resolve their differences on the Kashmir issue, he would be happy to step in. Talking to reporters, Trump said, “Both Pakistan Prime Minister Khan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are fantastic people. I can imagine they can get along very well. If they wanted me to, I will certainly intervene.”
Hours after his remarks, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar, who met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, tweeted: “Have conveyed to American counterpart @SecPompeo this morning in clear terms that any discussion on Kashmir, if at all warranted, will only be with Pakistan and only bilaterally.”
On July 23, while meeting Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, Trump had offered to mediate in solving the Kashmir issue between both the countries. He also claimed that PM Modi has asked him to help ease tensions between the two neighbouring countries on the “disputed” Kashmir region and that he would love to be a mediator. Read in Malayalam
Rejecting his claims then, the Ministry of External Affairs hit back saying there was no such demand by Prime Minister Modi and that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan.
Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar took to Twitter and said, “We have seen @POTUS’s remarks to the press that he is ready to mediate if requested by India & Pakistan, on Kashmir issue. No such request has been made by PM @narendramodi to US President.”
“It has been India’s consistent position that all outstanding issues with Pakistan are discussed only bilaterally. Any engagement with Pakistan would require an end to cross border terrorism. The Shimla Agreement & the Lahore Declaration provide the basis to resolve all issues between India & Pakistan bilaterally,” Kumar added.
Soon after Trump’s statements, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala took a jibe at the Modi government and said, “India has never accepted third party mediation in Jammu & Kashmir! To ask a foreign power to mediate in J&K by PM Modi is a sacrilegious betrayal of country’s interests. Let PM answer to the Nation!”
Prior to this, the Foreign Ministry, in March this year, reiterated its stand that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India.
Kumar, while responding to a journalist’s query, said, “As regards the resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir, our stand is consistent and well known. We reaffirm that Jammu & Kashmir is an integral part of India and is a matter strictly internal to India.”
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