ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump this week reiterated his offer to mediate and resolve the longstanding dispute between India and Pakistan on the disputed Kashmir territory, as tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors continue to simmer.
India and Pakistan pounded each other with artillery fire, missiles, drone strikes and fighter jets for four days before Trump announced a ceasefire between both sides on May 10. The US informed last month after the ceasefire announcement both India and Pakistan had agreed to meet at a neutral venue to address their differences, though New Delhi has so far publicly ruled out bilateral talks with Islamabad.
Trump said last month he used Washington’s trade ties with both countries to persuade them to back off from further military confrontation and agree to a ceasefire, taking the credit for preventing an all-out nuclear war. Speaking to reporters before signing a bill in the White House’s East Room on Thursday, the American president said Washington was “going to get those two getting together.”
“I told them, India and Pakistan — they have a longtime rivalry over Kashmir — I said, I can solve anything,” he told reporters. “I’ll be your arbitrator.”
India has always refused any outside mediation on Kashmir, the scenic Himalayan region which has a Muslim majority but a sizable Hindu minority. Both India and Pakistan claim the entire region but administer parts of it. The two countries have fought two out of three wars over the territory since 1947.
Trump reiterated his claim that he stopped the war between India and Pakistan last month through “phone calls and trade.”
“And India’s here right now negotiating a trade deal and Pakistan’s coming I think next week,” the US president said.
Tensions escalated between India and Pakistan on April 22 when gunmen attacked and killed 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir at the Pahalgam tourist resort. New Delhi, without offering proof, blamed Pakistan for the attack, alleging it had supported “cross-border terrorism.”
Pakistan denied the allegations and called for a credible, international probe into the incident. Following weeks of tensions, India struck multiple Pakistani cities with missiles on the night of May 6, claiming it had struck “terrorist” camps in the country.
Pakistan denied Indian allegations, saying the missiles had killed innocent children and vowed to retaliate.
