US President Donald Trump who earlier wanted to mediate between India and Pakistan on Kashmir has now said that Kashmir issue is bilateral in nature. “All issues between India & Pakistan are bilateral in nature, that is why we don’t bother any other country regarding them,” said Trump during bilateral meeting with PM Modi at G7 summit.
#WATCH: Prime Minister Narendra Modi during bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump at #G7Summit says,"All issues between India & Pakistan are bilateral in nature, that is why we don't bother any other country regarding them." pic.twitter.com/H4q0K7ojZT
— ANI (@ANI) August 26, 2019
The statement of Trump is the last nail in the coffin for Pakistan as far as its hopes of internationalising Kashmir issue is concerned. Last month, at a joint press conference with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Trump had said that PM Modi had sought his mediation/arbitration on Kashmir issue.
However taking note of these comments, India had reacted firmly and reiterated its stand of bilateral resolution of all outstanding issues between the two neighbours. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had stated India’s position and also clarified that no such request for mediation was made by PM Modi.
…that all outstanding issues with Pakistan are discussed only bilaterally. Any engagement with Pakistan would require an end to cross border terrorism. The Shimla Agreement & the Lahore Declaration provide the basis to resolve all issues between India & Pakistan bilaterally.2/2
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) July 22, 2019
He had tweeted, “We have seen @POTUS’s remarks to the press that he is ready to mediate, if requested by India & Pakistan, on Kashmir issue. No such request has been made by PM @narendramodi to US President. It has been India’s consistent position that all outstanding issues with Pakistan are discussed only bilaterally. Any engagement with Pakistan would require an end to cross border terrorism. The Shimla Agreement & the Lahore Declaration provide the basis to resolve all issues between India & Pakistan bilaterally.”
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has also made the intergovernmental organization’s stance very clear that it is a bilateral issue as per the Simla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration.
India has for long maintained that all the outstanding issues between India and Pakistan are to be resolved bilaterally. Shimla Pact signed between Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan on 2nd July 1972 clearly stated that “That the two countries are resolved to settle their differences by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations.”
Moreover, earlier India and United States both indicated that they have no record of the Kashmir issue being discussed between the two leaders when they had met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka last month. According to sources the US is believed to have informally confirmed to the Indian side that neither the White House or the US Department of State have any of the official records of claims made by President Donald Trump. On the Indian side too, the Ministry of External Affairs had confirmed there was not even any remote discussion on Kashmir that could have set off a misunderstanding.
Pakistan has already been snubbed by many countries including Maldives, Sri Lanka, UAE, Bahrain. The backtracking by Trump which he often does on important issues is big win for India. This also shows diplomatic skills of PM Modi who is now among most powerful leaders on global horizon. His diplomatic skills have appreciated by experts across the political spectrum in India as well as in other countries.