Third party has no role in J&K: India on Trump offer
KASHMIR ISSUE This is the 7th time since July that US president has offered to mediate
NEWDELHI/WASHINGTON: The Indian government on Wednesday pushed back against US President Donald Trump’s latest offer, his seventh, to help resolve the Kashmir issue, with people familiar with development saying there was “no role” for a third party in the matter.
Despite India’s persistent spurning of his offers to mediate or assist in handling the Kashmir issue, the US president raked up the matter ahead of his meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum at Davos on Tuesday.
“Our position on the Kashmir issue has been clear and consistent. There is no role for any third party in this matter,” said an Indian government official who asked not to be named.
“There is nothing further to add,” the person added.
This is the seventh time since July last year that Trump has offered some variation of assistance for resolving the Kashmir issue, including “mediation”, ”arbitration” or intervention.
India has consistently pushed back every time Trump has raised Kashmir, with the external affairs ministry roundly dismissing the US president’s claim last July that Prime Minister Narendra Modi requested him to mediate on the Kashmir issue.
Ahead of his meeting with Khan on Tuesday, Trump said they would be “talking about Kashmir in relation to what’s going on with Pakistan and India”.
He added: “And if we can help, we certainly will be helping.”
The US, he said, has been watching the issue and “following it very, very closely”. Khan welcomed his remarks and described Kashmir as “a big issue” for Pakistan. “Of course, we always hope that the US would play its part in resolving it because no other country can,” he said.
However, the readout issued by the White House about the meeting made no mention of Kashmir.
Trump’s remarks came weeks ahead of an expected visit to India. Experts said they were clearly made with an eye on securing Pakistan’s assistance for the troubled peace process in
Afghanistan.
Rajiv Dogra, a former ambassador who served in Pakistan, said: “This is a meeting of interests and Imran Khan knows he has Trump where it hurts him the most – Afghanistan. It’s a beautiful bargain for them and all the strategic theories have gone for a six ever since Trump was sworn in.”
The Indian government has bristled at all mention of Kashmir on international platforms, including China’s recent effort to discuss the issue at the UN Security Council.
Trump’s first offer on Kashmir came on July 22, 2019, during Khan’s first visit to the White
House.
“If I can help, I would love to be a mediator,” Trump had said, in response to an appeal from Khan. “It is... impossible to believe two incredible countries that are very, very smart, with very smart leadership, can’t solve a problem like that. But if you want me to mediate or arbitrate, I would be willing to do that,” he had said.
He prefaced the offer with the stunning claim that Modi had asked him to arbitrate. The response from New Delhi was swift and unequivocal: Modi never invited Trump to mediate and India considers Kashmir a bilateral issue to be resolved with Pakistan.