US President Donald Trump, during his bilateral meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, in New York on Monday, 23 September, brought up the Kashmir issue, saying he is “ready, willing and able” to mediate on the “complex issue” if both sides agree, as he described himself as “an extremely good arbitrator”.
"The most powerful country in the world has a responsibility,” Khan said alongside Trump, warning that the “crisis (in Kashmir) is going to get much bigger.” “If I can help, I will certainly help,” Trump responded.
“It’s (Kashmir issue) been going on for a long time. But if both (India and Pakistan) want it (mediation), I will be ready to do it,” Trump was quoted by media reports as saying.
Avoiding to directly answer a question on Kashmir, Trump told reporters that he has a very good relationship with both PM Modi as well as Imran Khan. “I would be an extremely good arbitrator. I have never failed as an arbitrator,” he went on to say.
When asked about the alleged human rights violations in Kashmir by a Pakistani reporter, Trump said that he wants everybody to be treated well.
“I want to see everything work out. Everybody to be treated well. You have two big countries, two warring countries and they have been fighting.”US President Donald Trump, as quoted by PTI
India has maintained that the Kashmir issue is a bilateral one and no third party has any role in it.
‘Hope India & Pakistan Do Something That’s Very Smart and Good’
Trump’s meeting with Khan comes a day after he shared the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the ‘Howdy, Modi’ event in Houston, Texas.
Praising the ‘Howdy, Modi’ event in the presence of Khan on Monday, Trump said he has heard a “very aggressive statement" by PM Modi at the mega rally.
"It was very well received within the room," Trump said, referring to the gathering of 50,000 people at the NRG Stadium in Houston.
"I hope India and Pakistan will do something that is very smart and good for both. There is always a solution," the US president said.
At the rally on Sunday, Modi had hit out at Pakistan for its support to terrorism and said India's decision to nullify Article 370 has caused trouble to those who cannot handle their country, as he called for a "decisive battle" against terrorism.
‘I Trust Pakistan, But People Before Me Didn’t’
During his press interaction alongside Khan, Trump repeatedly snubbed Pakistani reporters and on one occasion even asked one of the journalists whether he is part of the Pakistani delegation, reported PTI.
"Where do you find reporters like these," Trump asked Khan in response to a question posed by a Pakistani journalist on Kashmir.
On Pakistan-US ties, Trump was quoted by PTI as saying:
“People in my position have treated Pakistan very badly... I trust Pakistan, but people before me didn’t. But they didn’t know what they were doing,”US President Donald Trump, as quoted by PTI
Trump and Imran Khan last met in July at the White House. During their first one-on-one interaction, the US president had expressed his willingness to mediate between India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue – an offer India rejected.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
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