INDIA SILENT ON TRUMP’S OFFER TO WORK TOGETHER ON ‘SOLUTION CONCERNING KASHMIR’, PAK APPRECIATES MOVE

Mon 12 May 2025:

India has consistently opposed third-party mediation on Kashmir, viewing it as a bilateral matter under the 1972 Shimla Agreement.

New Delhi: A day after India and Pakistan agreed to halt their military action, US President Donald Trump doubled down on claiming credit, while also declaring that he would “work” with the two South Asian neighbours to find a “solution” to the Kashmir issue.

Pakistan has welcomed Trump’s offer to mediate on the long-standing dispute, but there has been no response from the Indian side till now.

Posting on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said he was “very proud” of the leadership in India and Pakistan “for having the strength, wisdom, and fortitude to fully know and understand that it was time to stop the current aggression that could have led to the death and destruction of so many, and so much”.

“Millions of good and innocent people could have died! Your legacy is greatly enhanced by your brave actions. I am proud that the USA was able to help you arrive at this historic and heroic decision,” he wrote, just minutes before midnight in Washington.

He then added that, although the issue had not even been discussed, he had offered to “increase trade, substantially, with both of these great Nations”.

Trump also reiterated his intention to mediate between the two neighbours to resolve the Kashmir dispute.

“Additionally, I will work with you both to see if, after a ‘thousand years,’ a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir,” he wrote, signing off with, “God Bless the leadership of India and Pakistan on a job well done!!!”

India had launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ on May 7 with drone strikes on “terror infrastructure” inside Pakistan, two weeks after 26 civilians were killed in a terror attack in Pahalgam. It was followed by attacks and counter-attacks, which escalated to military targets in both countries. On the morning of April 10, Pakistan launched Operation ‘Bunyan-un-Marsoos’ with surface-to-air missiles, after India attacked three military Pakistani military bases.

Trump had been first to announce on Saturday (May 1o) that India and Pakistan have agreed to “full and immediate ceasefire” after “a long night of talks mediated by the United States”.

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No official reaction from India so far

While there has been no official reaction so far, the latest post by the US President is certain to cause unease in New Delhi, especially the announcement of talks. India has consistently opposed third-party mediation on Kashmir, viewing it as a bilateral matter under the 1972 Shimla Agreement.

Unlike Pakistan, none of India’s official statements from Saturday have acknowledged any US role in ending the recent confrontation between the two countries. Rather, Indian government sources insisted that the de-escalation had not been prompted by external intervention, but rather bilaterally.

For many observers, Trump’s remarks also effectively re-hyphenated India and Pakistan.

Trump’s sudden mention of expanding trade ties with both countries also raised eyebrows. Until now, only India had been involved in trade negotiations with Washington, following the Trump administration’s imposition of steep tariffs, some of which have since been partially rolled back. Pakistan, a much smaller economy, had not been part of any comparable talks.

The announcement of launch of trade talks had been made by in February, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visit Washington less than a month after Trump’s second inauguration.

Pakistan, unsurprisingly, welcomed Trump’s offer. On Saturday night, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had already thanked the US President for his role.

Following Trump’s second post on Truth Social, Pakistan’s foreign ministry issued a statement that Islamabad “appreciate(s) President Trump’s expressed willingness to support efforts aimed at the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute – a longstanding issue that has serious implications for peace and security in South Asia and beyond”.

“Pakistan reaffirms that any just and lasting settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute must be in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and must ensure the realization of the fundamental rights of the Kashmiri people, including their inalienable right to self-determination,” it said.

PR NO./

Pakistan Welcomes President Trump’s Statemet.

Pakistan welcomes the statement by the US President Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump regarding Pakistan-India relations.

We acknowledge with appreciation the constructive role played by the United States,…

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) May 11, 2025

Soon after, Prime Minister Sharif again posted on social media, saying he was “extremely grateful to President Trump for his pathbreaking leadership and commitment to global peace and for his most valuable offer to play a greater role in bringing lasting peace to South Asia.”

He stated that Pakistan has found a “great partner” in President Trump who could “reinvigorate our strategic partnership and strengthen Pakistan-U.S. ties, not only in trade and investment but in all other areas of cooperation”.

He also sought to frame US-Pakistan relations as one which is beyond bilateral, which works to “promote mutual interests as well as for peace and security in critical parts of the world”.

This framing mirrors language typically used by India and the United States to underscore their close strategic partnership in various parts of the world, particularly in the Indo-Pacific and Africa.

While many anticipated that the Trump presidency would be challenging for Islamabad, Pakistan has managed to navigate it relatively successfully. Notably, Pakistan was the only country Trump singled out in his first address to Congress for praise, thanking it for the capture and extradition of an Afghan terrorist responsible for the deaths of American soldiers during the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Pakistan had also tried to whet US’s appetite for critical minerals, with an official U.S. government delegation attending a high-level investment forum in Islamabad.