As the Indian clampdown on Kashmir entered its fourth week, President Donald Trump said after a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he remains available for a mediatory role but also felt that India and India and Pakistan could address the situation themselves.
“I am here. I have a very good relationship with both gentleman. I am here if for any reason. But I think they can do it themselves; they have been doing it for a long time,” Trump told journalists in an appearance along with Modi in France, where they attended the G-7 Summit.
The situation in Kashmir has spiral down after Modi ended autonomy for the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region on August 5.
Trump first offered to mediate on the longstanding Kashmir dispute – considered a nuclear flashpoint – at a July 22 meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in his Oval Office.
Since then, he has repeated to play a role toward addressing Pakistan-India tensions. New Delhi has rejected the offer while Pakistan welcomes it.
New Delhi hailed Trump’s statement in France with the Indian media calling it a victory for India’s stance that Kashmir is a bilateral dispute between the two South Asian rivals.
During the Press interaction Trump said that Modi told him that he had Kashmir under control.
“We spoke last night about Kashmir. The prime minister really feels he has it under control. They speak with Pakistan and I’m sure that they will be able to do something that will be very good,” the U.S. president remarked.
Image: Government of Pakistan Official
Seated on Trump’s right side, Modi claimed that that all issues between New Delhi and Islamabad were “bilateral in nature”.
“All issues between India and Pakistan are bilateral in nature, that is why we don’t bother any other country regarding them,” Modi said, according to an interpreter.
Modi said India and Pakistan were together before 1947 and that he was “confident that we can discuss our problems and solve them, together”.
The Indian premier also said he has told Prime Minister Imran Khan that they should work together for the welfare of their two countries.
