Refusing US President Donald Trump’s claim about PM Modi seeking his intervention in solving the Kashmir crisis with Pakistan, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Wednesday, 24 July, said in Lok Sabha that there is no question of any mediation on the issue.
A top Trump advisor, on Tuesday, had said that the US President "does not make up things".
It is "a very rude question," Trump's Chief Economic Advisor Larry Kudlow told reporters at the White House when a journalist following up on the president's remarks asked if it was made up.
- On Monday, Trump claimed PM Modi, during the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, sought his help in resolving the Kashmir issue
- External Affairs Minister of India S Jaishankar on Tuesday categorically assured the Rajya Sabha that PM Modi made no requests for US mediation in the Kashmir issue
- The MEA said that it has been India’s consistent position that all outstanding issues with Pakistan are discussed only bilaterally
- Rahul Gandhi tweeted that if Modi indeed asked for Trump’s help, he has “betrayed India’s interests & 1972 Shimla Agreement”
No Question of Mediation on Kashmir: Rajnath Singh in Lok Sabha
There was no discussion on Kashmir in the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Japan recently and there is no question of any mediation on the issue, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, 24 July.
Making a statement in Lok Sabha, Singh said mediation on the Kashmir issue is ruled out as it is a question of national pride for India.
Imran Khan Warns US of any Misadventure Against Iran
Cautioning the US about any misadventure against Iran, Pakistani PM Imran Khan on Tuesday said any action on the lines of Iraq could be much worse and people would forget al-Qaeda.
"My worry about Iran is.... I am not sure whether all the countries realise the gravity of the situation if there is a conflict with Iran," Khan said in response to a question during his appearance at the US Institute of Peace, a think-tank funded by the US Congress.
"You know, this is not going to be the same as (the 2003 US invasion of) Iraq. This could be much, much, much worse... It could unleash terrorism, which – people would forget al-Qaeda... You know, the battle might be quite short if it goes ahead, bombing airfields and so on," he said, reported PTI.
"But the consequences after that, my worry is that not many people fully understand it. And I would strongly urge that there should not be... another military situation," Khan said amidst an escalation of tension between Iran and the US.
Khan also said that successive governments in Pakistan did not tell the truth to the US, in particular in the last 15 years, adding that there were 40 different militant groups operating in his country.
"We were fighting the US war on terror. Pakistan has nothing to do with 9/11. Al-Qaeda was in Afghanistan. There were no militant Taliban in Pakistan. But we joined the US war. Unfortunately, when things went wrong, where I blame my government, we did not tell the US exactly the truth on the ground," Khan said.
Pakistan Has Not Been Represented Properly in US: Imran Khan
Pakistan PM Imran Khan said on Tuesday that his country's viewpoint has not been represented properly in the US and it has not reached the politicians, Congressmen and senators.
Khan, who went to the Capitol on Tuesday to meet top American lawmakers, said it was time to reset the relationship between the two countries, based on trust and mutual respect, reported PTI.
"So far, I feel Pakistan has not been represented properly in the US. I feel that our point of view has not reached the politicians, Congressmen and senators," Khan said in his joint media appearance with the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.
President Does Not Make Up Things, Says Trump's Advisor
US President Donald Trump "does not make up things", a top presidential advisor said on Tuesday when asked a question on his stunning claim that PM Narendra Modi had asked him to mediate on the Kashmir issue, a remark which has been strongly refuted by India.
It is "a very rude question," Trump's Chief Economic Advisor Larry Kudlow told reporters at the White House when a journalist following up on the president's remarks asked if it was made up.
"The president does not make anything up. That's a very rude question in my opinion. I am going to stay out of that. It's outside of my lane. It's for Mr (National Security Advisor John) Bolton, Mr (Secretary of State Mike) Pompeo and the president, so I am not going to comment on that. President does not make things up," Kudlow said.