- Says he would be there if they want him
PARIS, August 26: United States President Donald Trump has said that India and Pakistan could handle their dispute over Kashmir on their own, but he was there should they need him.
He discussed the issue on the sidelines of a G7 Summit in France with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who withdrew autonomy for the state of Jammu and Kashmir on 5th August. He said Modi told him that he had Kashmir under control.
Modi, speaking alongside Trump, said the Kashmir issue was a bilateral one between India and Pakistan.
Donald Trump raised the issue of occupied Kashmir with Modi expressing hope that something positive would come out of talks between Pakistan and India.
“We spoke last night on Kashmir, the prime minister [Modi] feels like he has it under control. They speak with Pakistan and I am sure that they will be able to do something that will be very good,” Trump told reporters.
Indian Prime Minister Modi said issues between New Delhi and Islamabad were bilateral. “All issues between India and Pakistan are bilateral, which is why we don’t bother any other country regarding them… I am confident that we pagecan discuss our problems and solve them together.”
According to a British news agency, US President Trump said Pakistan and India could handle their dispute over Kashmir on their own, but he was there should they need him.
Donald Trump has previously offered to mediate between India and Pakistan on the contested Himalayan region of Kashmir.
On August 5, Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government revoked the autonomy of the Muslim-majority territory where tens of thousands of people have been martyred in an uprising against Indian occupation since 1989. -Agencies
