As Donald Trump rakes up Kashmir again, India reminds US of `no third-party` mediation

New Delhi: Even as US President Donald Trump raked up Kashmir for the second time in ten days, New Delhi sought to remind Washington that there is no scope for a third-party mediation on Kashmir. 

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who met US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Thailand, tweeted, "Have conveyed to American counterpart Sec Pompeo this morning in clear terms that any discussion on Kashmir, if at all warranted, will only be with Pakistan and only bilaterally". 

President Donald Trump, in response to a question, said, "It’s really up to Prime Minister Modi (to accept the offer of mediation). I think they are fantastic people - Khan and Modi - I mean. I would imagine they could get along very well, but if they wanted somebody to intervene, to help them. And I spoke with Pakistan about that and I spoke frankly in India about it."

Adding, "If I can, if they wanted me to, I would certainly intervene."

Last month, US President Donald Trump, while sitting next to Pakistani PM Imran Khan in White House, had said that PM Modi had called for mediation on Kashmir during Trump-Modi bilateral on the sidelines of Osaka G20 Summit.

This was dismissed by the Indian side with EAM Jaishankar speaking in the Parliament and clarifying that all bilateral issues between India and Pakistan are governed by Shimla and Lahore agreements under which no 3rd party mediation will be allowed. 

The State Department readout of Pompeo-Jaishankar made no mention of discussion on Trump's Kashmir comments and said, "The two discussed shared commitment to upholding the rule of law, freedom of navigation, and democratic values in the Indo-Pacific region" with the US Secretary reaffirming the "positive trajectory of the US-India strategic partnership."