Kashmir Issuse

The External Affairs Minister of India, S. Jaishankar, had to categorically deny the US President Donald Trump’s claim that Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi has asked him to mediate in the Indian dispute on the territory of Jammu & Kashmir with Pakistan.

What had happened?

US President Trump had on July 22 Monday had claimed on record that he had himself offered to mediate in the decades-long Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan, as he had been asked to do so by Prime Minister Modi.

He claimed that Modi had spoken to him two weeks earlier (during the G-20 summit in Osaka) and offered Trump to either be a mediator or an arbitrator on Kashmir.

Why it is controversial?

India has steadfastly maintained that the Kashmir dispute is a bilateral issue and any talks with Pakistan would proceed only when Pakistan stops funding cross-border terrorism in India.

The opposition protested the remarks of President Trump and questioned the silence of PM Modi as they saw his current move a departure from India’s position on Kashmir.

Till date, India has categorically maintained that India’s position on all issues with Pakistan shall be discussed only bilaterally and no third party shall be involved in the mediation.

As per the Indian foreign minister, the Shimla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration would continue to be the only basis to resolve all future issues between both the nations.