United States President Donald Trump on Monday reiterated his offer to help India and Pakistan resolve the Kashmir dispute.
“India and Pakistan are having a conflict over Kashmir as you know. I think [it] is a little bit less heated right now than [what] was two weeks ago,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday, PTI reported. “I get along with both countries very well. I am willing to help them if they want. They know that. That [offer] is out there.”
Tensions between India and Pakistan have ratcheted up since New Delhi revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status on August 5. Pakistan, which has fought three wars with India for Kashmir since Independence, did not take the decision well. Pakistan retaliated by suspending bilateral trade and downgrading ties with India. It raised the matter at the United Nations Security Council, and threatened to take it to the UN Human Rights Council and the International Court of Justice as well. India has maintained its decisions are its internal matter.
On Monday, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet expressed concern about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, and asked India and Pakistan to ensure that the human rights of the people of Kashmir were respected and protected.
These were Trump’s first comments since meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in France last month. After that meeting, the US had said “helping reduce India-Pakistan tensions” were among its five big takeaways from the G7 summit in France. This was despite Modi categorically rejecting any possibility of a third-party mediating in the dispute.
Donald Trump has offered to mediate in the Kashmir matter two other times. He had first inserted himself into the dispute in July by claiming that Modi had asked him to mediate. India refuted the claims, but the Trump administration said the president stood firm on his statement. On August 20, Trump had said the Kashmir crisis “is a big deal”, adding that it was an “explosive situation”.
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