Confident that India, Pakistan will resolve Kashmir issue: Trump after meeting PM Modi

US President Donald Trump on August 26 said that he was confident that India and Pakistan would resolve issues bilaterally, in a reversal from his earlier stated position.

Trump had earlier expressed that he was willing to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue.

In a joint media interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France, Trump said, “We already spoke about that (Kashmir issue) last night (at the G7 Summit dinner). The prime minister (Modi) said that he has it under control. They speak to Pakistan and I am sure that they will be able to do something that will be very good.” Trump said this when asked if he had discussed the Kashmir issue with PM Modi.

This is in line with what the Indian Ambassador to US, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, had said earlier.  Shringla had said that Trump’s offer of mediation on Kashmir was not on the table anymore.

On July 22, during his joint media appearance with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House, Trump had stunned India by saying PM Modi had sought his mediation/arbitration on the Kashmir issue. This claim was seen by many as outlandish and carrying little credibility.

India had rejected Trump's claims that the prime minister had made the offer.

Alongside Trump, PM Modi also categorically rejected any scope for a third party mediation between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue. PM Modi said the two countries can discuss and resolve all issues bilaterally and "we do not want to bother any third country."