NEW DELHI: India has denied that PM Narendra Modi asked US President Donald Trump to mediate in the the Kashmir conflict with Pakistan.External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said no such request has been made by Modi to the US president.
President Trump and PM Modi had met last month on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was also at the summit, though there was no bilateral meet between him and PM Modi.
“We have seen President Trump’s remarks to the press that he is ready to mediate, if requested by India and Pakistan, on the Kashmir issue. No such request has been made by Prime Minister to the US President,” he said.
Any engagement with Pakistan would require an end to cross border terrorism. The Shimla Agreement & the Lahore Declaration provide the basis to resolve all issues between India & Pakistan bilaterally,” he said.
India’s consistent policy has been that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and there is no scope for any role by any third party.
Pakistan and India have battled over Kashmir since Pakistan was established 70 years ago.India maintains that the Kashmir issue is a bilateral one and no third party has any role in it.
On Monday evening, Donald Trump, during his meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House, offered to mediate between the two countries to resolve the issue of Kashmir.
