‘Concerned’USeyesrole in IndiaPakrelationship
DELHI DISMISSIVE India says terror must stop for ‘bilateral redressal’ of issues This administration is concerned about the relationship between India and Pakistan and very much wants to see how we deescalate any sort of conflict going forward... We don’t think we should wait till something happens
US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley appeared to be signalling a shift in American position when she said the Donald Trump administration would like to “find its place” in efforts to de-escalate India-Pakistan tensions but the suggestion was rejected by New Delhi, which insisted on the bilateral resolution of issues.
In remarks at a news conference on Monday, Haley, who has taken over as the UN Security Council chair, said the US was concerned about the India-Pakistan dispute and would like to “find its place” in moves to reduce tensions.
“It’s absolutely right that this administration is concerned about the relationship between India and Pakistan and very much wants to see how we de-escalate any sort of conflict going forward,” the Indian American envoy said in response to a question.
“So I would expect that the administration is in going to be in talks and try and find its place to be a part of that and we don’t think we should wait till something happens. We very much think that we should be proactive in the way that we are seeing tensions rise and conflicts start to bubble up and so we want to see if we can be a part of that.”
But the day after, no one in the Trump administration was in a hurry to back her up publicly or privately. The White House referred questions about her remarks to the state department, which had not responded to multiple requests for response till the writing of this report.
In New Delhi, external affairs ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay responded to Haley’s remarks by saying India’s position on bilaterally resolving all issues with Pakistan hasn’t changed.
“Government’s position for bilateral redressal of all IndiaPakistan issues in an environment free of terror and violence hasn’t changed,” Baglay said.
The external affairs ministry was cold to Haley’s remarks indicating that President Donald Trump could play a role in efforts to reduce tensions. Instead, Baglay said, the focus should be on terror originating from Pakistan.
“We of course expect the international community and organisations to enforce international mechanisms and mandates concerning terrorism emanating from Pakistan, which continues to be the single biggest threat to peace and stability in our region and beyond,” he said.
Pakistan has often favoured a mediatory role for the US on the Kashmir issue but New Delhi has consistently ruled out third party mediation to solve its problems with Islamabad.
India, normally super-sensitive to any talk of third party intervention, seemed not too worried, opting to continue believing in an earlier assurance from the Trump administration that the president “was not interested”.
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Late-night thundershowers in parts of the Capital on Tuesday raised hopes of relief from the scorching dry heat in the NCR region, where the mercury is threatening to breach the intimidating 40° Cesius this early part of April.
The forecast for Wednesday was soothing, as meteorological department predicted the possibility of a thunderstorm or dust storm because of a western disturbance.
Parts of central and south Delhi received rainfall late on Tuesday night itself.
The storms — even without the expected precipitation — are likely to keep the heat down over the next three days and provide temporary relief to the city.
The mercury was hovering around 39 degrees Celsius till Monday. It is likely to take a downward slide to around 32 degrees Celsius by Saturday.
Nights would get cooler with the minimum temperature likely to drop to around 19 degrees Celsius.
“The thunderstorm would force cool winds from higher altitudes to blow in, thereby lowering the temperature drastically,” the scientist said.
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