US President Donald Trump’s claim that he was invited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mediate in the Kashmir dispute, has snowballed into a major controversy. Trump’s remarks, made sitting alongside Pakistan Prime Minister, Imran Khan on Monday, provoked uproar in the Indian parliament and demands for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to respond.
While Pakistan has called for third-party involvement over the long-running dispute, India has always insisted that the issue can only be resolved through direct talks with Islamabad. Kashmir is claimed by India and Pakistan in full and ruled in part by both. An insurgency has waxed and waned in the state of J&K for three decades, and tens of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict.
Trump’s suggestions were quickly rebutted by Delhi and following heated exchanges in the parliament on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar issued a strenuous denial. The opposition members walked out in protest, demanding a response from Modi.
So far, the foreign and defence minister has come out to deny the claim of Trump. It is strange that PM Modi is yet to respond. The silence of Modi is sending confusing signals. Either president Trump must be lying or PM Modi must have made the mistake of urging him to intervene. This is a massive national security issue and the whole country is waiting to hear from the PM. India has always opposed any kind of third-party mediation on Kashmir issue and there should not be any deviation from it.