‘IMPROVE LIFE IN J&K’

NEW YORK: Donald Trump has encouraged PM Narendra Modi to “fulfil his promise to better the lives of the Kashmiri people”, according to the White House.

NEW YORK: US President Donald Trump has encouraged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to improve ties with Pakistan and “fulfil his promise to better the lives of the Kashmiri people”, according to the White House.

Trump also spoke with Modi during their bilateral meeting on the margins of the UN General Assembly about the need to address barriers to free, fair, and reciprocal trade, according to a readout of the meet from the White House.

Interacting with the media before the meeting, Trump had largely ducked a flurry of questions on the Kashmir issue and terrorism emanating from Pakistan and said he believed Modi was capable of handling these issues. He had also not made any fresh offer to mediate between India and Pakistan on Kashmir – an issue he has brought up several times in recent public comments.

During interactions with the media alongside Modi and Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday, Trump had side-stepped questions on Pakistan’s role in supporting terrorism against India and instead said Iran should be “at the top of the list” of terrorist states.

The White House readout said Trump also “reaffirmed the importance of greatly increasing trade between the United States and India, and highlighted the need for resolving barriers to free, fair, and reciprocal trade, which includes improving United States companies’ market access in India”.

There was no immediate response from Indian officials.

Modi and Trump also discussed progress on different aspects of the India-US strategic partnership. Trump noted “good progress on defence and security cooperation”, the readout said.

Both leaders expressed concerns about the situation in Afghanistan and shared ideas about how to work together to promote security and prosperity in that country.