US President Donald Trump said on Monday he hopes India and Pakistan can come together to resolve their differences over Kashmir, as Prime Minister Imran Khan urged Trump to use US influence to help end India’s siege of the occupied territory.
Trump and Khan met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The US president reiterated to Khan as they began their meeting with reporters present that he will be willing to mediate between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. “If I can help, I’d like to help,” said Trump. “I want everyone to be treated well,” he said at a joint news conference after meeting Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of the 74th United Nations General Assembly session here, adding that he had good relations with both the prime ministers – Imran Khan and Narendra Modi.
Khan told Trump Kashmir is facing a humanitarian issue with millions under siege. He asked Trump to implore Modi to lift the siege, saying the crisis can get much worse. “At least lift the siege,” said Khan.
He said Trump heads the most powerful country in the world and that the United States has a responsibility to use its influence on the United Nations Security Council. “We look to the US to put out flames in the world,” he said.
Trump noted that Modi in his speech had made ‘a very aggressive statement’ before more than 50,000 Indian-Americans at a ‘Howdy Modi’ event on Sunday in Houston. “I will say it was very well-received within the room, the statement itself. But it was a very aggressive statement and I hope that they are going to be able to come together, India and Pakistan, to do something that is really smart and good for both. There’s always a solution and I really believe there’s a solution to that,” said Trump.
The US president said Kashmir is a ‘complex’ issue and that he can mediate if both want it. “I am ready, willing and able. It’s a complex issue. It’s been going on for a long time. But if both want it, I will be ready to do it,” he said. As for Afghanistan, Trump said US-led forces have hit the Taliban hard over the past two weeks since a peace initiative collapsed.
Imran Khan pressed Trump to restart talks with Afghanistan’s Taliban. Trump said it was ‘ridiculous’ that the United States had been fighting there for 19 years. However he made no promises about restarting peace talks with the Taliban, saying only “we’ll see.” He said he had a great discussion with Prime Minister Imran Khan on dialogue with the Taliban, situation in Afghanistan and the regional peace. He said they have also discussed enhancing the bilateral trade volume between the two countries which was currently very low. He said he wanted to meet Prime Minister Imran during the UNGA session as he (Imran) wanted to play his role for the regional development.
Imran Khan said stability in Afghanistan is need of the hour and in the best interest of Pakistan. This was the second interaction between the two leaders after July this year when they met at the Oval Office during the former’s bilateral visit to Washington. The prime minister, who reached here Saturday on a week-long visit, also met the US lawmakers, including Senate Leader Chuck Schumer and Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Lindsay Graham, and US-based Kashmir leaders to discuss the Kashmir issue. Imran Khan has also met his British counterpart Boris Johnson, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad.
