Trumps Offers To Mediate In Kashmir Annoying ; India Must Reciprocate By Offering Mediation Between Trump And Hassan Rouhani
Trump’s lying to Imran Khan, regarding Modi requesting him to mediate in Kashmir was totally exposed by India.
The US state department, had to issue a clarification stating that the Kashmir dispute was a “bilateral” issue between India and Pakistan. Later Indian foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said New Delhi wanted to “move on” from the controversy.
Both India and USA have broad and deep relationship across a range of issues. Both have excellent trade and investment linkages and even defence deals have been increasing.
Referring to Trumps action. Former Indian ambassador to the US Arun Singh says that Trump’s remarks on Kashmir were “clearly a transactional ploy” to get “more cooperation from Pakistan in the context of the Taliban in Afghanistan”.
Trump is desperate that American troops exit the war-torn country after 18 years.
Though India’s position has been firm and consistent in rejecting any third-party role in Kashmir. Foreign minister S. Jaishankar said he had conveyed to the US in clear terms that any talks to resolve the Kashmir dispute can only be held between India and Pakistan, and that he will not invite third-party mediation.
Jaishankar’s meeting with US secretary of state Mike Pompeo took place on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Regional Forum, East Asia Summit and other meetings in Bangkok.
“Have conveyed to American counterpart @SecPompeo this morning in clear terms that any discussion on Kashmir, if at all warranted, will only be with Pakistan and only bilaterally,” Jaishankar said in a post on Twitter on the second meeting between the two. “Wide ranging discussions with @SecPompeo on regional issues,” Jaishankar said in another post, along with a picture of the two shaking hands in Bangkok.
A US state department statement on Friday said: “The two discussed our shared commitment to upholding the rule of law, freedom of navigation, and democratic values in the Indo-Pacific region. The secretary reaffirmed the positive trajectory of the US-India strategic partnership.”
However Trump on Friday seemed to give the controversy a new lease of life. Answering a question from a reporter at the White House about his earlier offer to mediate on the Kashmir issue, Trump said: “If they wanted somebody to intervene and I spoke to Pakistan about that… I spoke frankly with India about it… if they wanted me to I would certainly intervene.”
The fact that Trump had made the offer in public has been seen as a major step away from the US’s established stand of viewing the Kashmir dispute as a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan. It also seemed contrary to the US’s position that New Delhi is being seen as its “natural” strategic partner, given the rapidly warming ties over the past two decades.
Thus to send a strong message, PM Modi should forward a counter proposal of becoming a mediator between Trump and the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to ensure that peace prevails in the Middle East and the Gulf. For that matter even Kim Jong if North Korea too may be invited. The US – Iran talks and US – North Korea talks can be held simultaneously in Pahalgam Valley of Kashmir.
