Washington,  US President Donald Trump and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, during a phone conversation, discussed the need to reduce tensions over the Kashmir issue, the White House said in a statement on Monday. “Trump spoke by telephone with Prime Minister Imran Khan today to discuss the need to reduce tensions and moderate rhetoric with India over the situation in Jammu and Kashmir,” it said.

The President reaffirmed the need to avoid escalation of the situation, and urged restraint on both sides. “The two leaders also agreed to work together to strengthen US-Pak economic and trade cooperation,” the statement added. The tensions between the two neighbours escalated after India abrogated Article 370 of its Constitution which granted “special status” to the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan might redeploy troops from the Afghanistan border to the Kashmir border, Islamabad’s ambassador to the US, Asad Majeed Khan told The New York Times last week which the newspaper said could complicate the ongoing peace talks between US and the Taliban.

Dismissing the Pakistani envoy’s statement, Afghanistan’s ambassador to the US Roya Rahmani asserted that, “Any such statements that link the evolving situation in Kashmir to the Afghan peace efforts are reckless, unwarranted and irresponsible.”