August 26, 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump has said that India and Pakistan could handle their dispute over Kashmir on their own but that he was there should they need him to mediate.
Trump discussed the matter with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 26 on the sidelines of a summit of Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialized nations in France.
He said that he’s available to help mediate, but Modi told him that he has the situation “under control.”
Speaking alongside Trump, Modi said the Kashmir issue was a bilateral one between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Tensions between India and Pakistan has escalated since New Delhi revoked the special status of Indian-administered Kashmir earlier this month.
The disputed Himalayan region is split between the nuclear neighbors but claimed by both countries in its entirety.
India has long refused outside attempts to resolve the conflict while Pakistan has sought international help.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan has called on all Pakistanis to stage weekly half-hour rallies in support of the people of India-controlled Kashmir. Khan, in a live television address, urged his compatriots to stage the first such rally on August 30.
Two out of the three wars Pakistan and India have fought since gaining independence from Britain in 1947 were over control of Kashmir.