Trump's Kashmir Blooper LIVE: No Request Was Made by PM Modi to US President for Mediation, Jaishankar Clarifies in Rajya Sabha

Hurriyat Conference Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on the other hand says that US President Donald Trump's intervention in the Kashmir conflict through mediation or arbitration is 'welcome by the people of Jammu and Kashmir' who, he says, are the most affected by the conflict. 

Being the most affected party people of #Kashmir want an early resolution to the lingering Kashmir conflict. Been urging for dialogue at all levels.Every effort, pushing India and Pakistan in that direction @POTUS is welcome by the people of J&K.

— Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) July 23, 2019

Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 12 PM following an uproar by the Opposition over the statement of US President Donald Trump that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to mediate in Kashmir issue.

Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 12 PM following an uproar by the Opposition over the statement of US President Donald Trump that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to mediate in Kashmir issue. pic.twitter.com/Zmb9bLwEpZ

— ANI (@ANI) July 23, 2019

Meanwhile, Vice President of India Venkiah Naidu appealed to the House to not 'politicise the issue'. "Dont make a national issue a political issue.. You seem to have more trust on the US president than our own Prime Minister," he says. Opposition leaders have been questioning PM Modi's silence on Trump's claims, demanding for an official statement from him. 

Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar categorically denies Donald Trump's claims that PM Modi sought his assistance on the Kashmir conflict. "No offer has been made to Trump to mediate on the Jammu and Kashmir issue. All issues with Pak are to be discussed bilaterally in accordance to the Shimla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration. I hope my categorical and specific denial leaves no confusion in anyone's mind," he says.  

However, resurgence of relations between US and Pakistan seems to be on cards as on Monday, the US president said "we've made a lot of progress over the last couple of weeks"."A lot of things are happening for the United States, and I think a lot of great things are going to be happening for Pakistan under your leadership," he said as he turned to face the Pakistani prime minister.

Sustained, Irreversible Action from Pak | Reiterating that the United States is looking for sustained, "irreversible action". News agency PTI had quoted a White House official as saying that America is working with its international partners to increase pressure on Pakistan. Trump Administration said it has taken sort of a "zero tolerance policy" on the issue of safe havens to terrorists."The terror terrorist attack on February 14th on India was a demonstration that Pakistan's continuing provision of sanctuary for any terrorist group is not acceptable," the official said.

The US-Pak relations suffered a major blow after the Pulwama attack of February 14 carried out by Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) that killed 40 CRPF personnel. Reacting to the worsening situation, the United States at that time had asked Pakistan to take sustained, verifiable and irreversible action against the perpetrators of terrorism, while warning the country that another terror attack on India will prove to be "extremely problematic".

Where Do US and Pakistan Stand? The United States and Pakistan have a complicated relationship. Trump last year complained on Twitter that the Pakistanis "have given us nothing but lies & deceit" and "give safe haven" to armed fighters. Pakistan has denied the accusations.Khan, who assumed office last year, fired back. He tweeted that Pakistan had suffered 75,000 casualties and lost $123bn in the "US war on terror", even though no Pakistanis were involved in the September 11 attacks. He said the US only provided a "minuscule" $20bn in aid.

Sharpening his attack on the US President, Luce adds that Trump's statements 'emboldens Pakistan in its belief that it can play America for a sucker. Imran Khan, Pakistan's PM, could not believe his luck.'  Luce goes on to question how Trump could indulge in this degree of self-harm and then immediately goes on to attribute it to his ignorance and vanity. 

Donald Trump's claims on the Jammu and Kashmir conflict has invited widespread criticism from the political and media circles of US. Financial Times' US national editor, Edward Luce slammed the US President in a series of tweets, calling him a liar and the 'vainest leader on the planet'. Luce explains how Trump's offer to mediate on the sensitive Jammu and Kashmir issue is the 'most consequential mistake' ever made and is boiund to have disrupting consequences. 

India-Pak Tensions | India has not been engaging with Pakistan since an attack on the Air Force base at Pathankot in January of 2016 by Pakistan-based terrorists, maintaining that talks and terror cannot go together. Early this year, tensions flared up between India and Pakistan after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammed killed 40 CRPF personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama district. Amid mounting outrage, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting the biggest JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26.

Responding to another question, Khan said Pakistan will give up its nuclear weapons if India did so. "Yes, because nuclear war is not an option. Between Pakistan and India, the idea of nuclear war is actually self-destruction because we have two-and-a-half thousand-mile border.

Jammu and Kashmir Issue Cannot be Solved Bilaterally, Says Pak PM |  "Bilaterally there will never be (a resolution of the Kashmir dispute)," Khan told Fox News, the favourite channel of president Trump. "There was one point when there was General (Pervez) Musharraf and Prime Minister (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee of India when we did get close to the resolution of the Kashmiri issue. But since then we are poles apart and I really feel that India should come on the table; US could play a big part. President Trump certainly can play a big part," Khan said hours after he met Trump at his Oval Office for the first time at the White House.

Congress leader Millind Deora urged everyone to rise above politics for the 'sake of India's national interest' and welcome the MEA statement that refuted Trump's claims that Modi sought mediation or arbitration from the US President on the Jammu and Kashmir issue. 

For the sake of India’s national interest, all parties must rise above politics & welcome @MEAIndia’s statement refuting @PMOIndia’s alleged remarks.

We must also ask whether BJP would have extended the same courtesy to Dr Manmohan Singh had a US President made such a claim https://t.co/n8XZVJGUB5

— Milind Deora (@milinddeora) July 23, 2019

Adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha Over Trump's Claims | Meanwhile, Congress MP K Suresh has given Adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha over "US President Donald Trump's claim that PM Narendra Modi asked Trump to mediate on Kashmir", news agency ANI reported. 

An influential Democratic Congressman on Tuesday apologised to India's US envoy for President Donald Trump's "embarrassing" remarks on Kashmir, while several others came out in support of New Delhi's established stand against any third-party role on the issue."I just apologised to Indian Ambassador Harsh Shringla for Trump's amateurish and embarrassing mistake," Congressman Brad Sherman tweeted hours after Donald Trump's stunning claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought his mediation or arbitration efforts to resolve the Kashmir issue.

Trump's claims and offer for mediation has invited reactions cutting across party lines in India. BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav says that Trump's statements underscore the 'biggest problem in US system today'. Expressing his surprise, Madhav added that if the US President manages to make such outrageous claims even with political experts like Lisa Curtis in the White House, then there ought to be something 'fundamentally wrong'. 

POTUS’ statement on Kashmir underscores the biggest problem in the US system today. With expert India and South Asia hands like Lisa Curtis in White House n State Dept if he makes such a statement then there is something fundamentally wrong. https://t.co/3PAfq5QDJ9

— Ram Madhav (@rammadhavbjp) July 23, 2019

"While Kashmir is a bilateral issue for both parties to discuss, the Trump administration welcomes Pakistan and India sitting down and the United States stands ready to assist," a State Department spokesperson said in response to a question if Trump's remarks reflect a change in the country's policy on Kashmir.

While Kashmir is a bilateral issue for both parties to discuss, the Trump administration welcomes #Pakistan and #India sitting down and the United States stands ready to assist. - AGW

— State_SCA (@State_SCA) July 22, 2019

US Govt in Damage Control Mode | The Trump administration has launched a damage control exercise after the President's remarks about mediation on Kashmir, with the State Department on Tuesday saying it was a "bilateral" issue between India and Pakistan, and the US "welcomes" the two countries "sitting down" for talks.

The statement by the US President is likely to create a diplomatic and political firestorm given that Parliament is in session. Prime Minister Modi is also likely to travel to the US in September.

Imran Khan Seeks Trump's Help on Kashmir Issue | While Islamabad has long sought US mediation on Kashmir and has repeatedly raised the dispute at international forum, India has opposed any third-party mediation, calling the dispute over the Himalayan territory a bilateral issue or an  "internal matter". So, while India completely rejected the possibility of mediation, Khan welcomed these remarks. "President, I can tell you that, right now, you would have the prayers of over a billion people if you can mediate and resolve this issue," he said.

'No Such request Made,' India Rejects Trump's Claims | However, within an hour, the Ministry of External Affairs contradicted the US President’s remarks saying “no such request has been made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi”. In a series of tweets, ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar rejected the US offer of mediation and denied that PM Modi had asked for assistance. "It has been India's consistent position that all outstanding issues with Pakistan are discussed only bilaterally," he wrote. 

Trump claimed that Modi had asked him to mediate on the Kashmir issue when they met in Osaka, Japan on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit last month."He actually said, 'Would you like to be a mediator or arbitrator?' I said, 'Where?' He said, 'Kashmir.' Because this has been going on for many, many years," Trump said at the White House, where he was hosting Khan on Monday. "If I can help, I would love to be a mediator," the US president said, a statement that signalled a shift in long-standing US policy that the Kashmir issue must be solved bilaterally. 

'I would Love to be Mediator in Kashmir Issue' | In remarks that angered New Delhi and were quickly rejected, US President Donald Trump Monday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to play the role of a mediator on Kashmir, and “if I can help, I would love to be the mediator” between India and Pakistan.Trump made the remarks in the presence of visiting Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House ahead of their bilateral meeting.