How the world media highlighted Imran-Trump meeting

WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD: The international media Tuesday gave extensive coverage to the meeting between the US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Imran Khan at the Oval House in White House on Monday during the latter’s three-day visit to the United States.

The Wall Street Journal covered the story putting emphasis on Trump’s offer to mediate the Kashmir issue between Pakistan and India with a headline that said: “Trump Offers to Mediate Kashmir Conflict, but India Demurs.”

“President Trump offered to help mediate the long-running Kashmir conflict in a White House meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan,” WSJ reported.

“Briefly raising the prospect of a substantial shift in the U.S. role in the conflict before India swiftly rejected it.”

The WSJ also reported India’s version by quoting Raveesh Kumar, spokesman for India’s Ministry of External Affairs. He said Narendra Modi had made “no such request”. The publication also embedded Kumar’s tweet in their article which elaborated the ‘denial’.

The New York Times — the leading American daily — published a headline that read, “Trump Tries Cooling Tensions With Pakistan to Speed Afghan Peace Talks.”

The Times pegged the story with PM Imran and President Trump’s Twitter spat last year.

“President Trump, who on Twitter last year accused Pakistan’s leaders of doing “nothing but lies & deceit,” welcomed the country’s prime minister to the White House,” the paper read.

The Times concluded its article about Pakistan helping the US to curtail security issues in Afghanistan, quoting Trump that he might ‘restore some of the funding to Pakistan that he cut off last year.’

“I think Pakistan will save millions of lives in Afghanistan. As of this moment, they are working very hard,” the paper quoted President Trump.

The BBC covered the event stressing that Imran’s visit is to restore the bilateral relations between Pakistan and the US which were strained by the Afghan conflict, with their headline reading, “Imran Khan: Pakistan PM meets Trump in bid to mend ties.”

The news story covered Imran and Trump’s discussion on diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan and security issues related to Afghanistan.

CNN also covered the event on the same line, with their headline that read, “Trump, Pakistani PM Talk Taliban, Afghan peace talks at White House.” “The US has pressed Pakistan to use its leverage over the Taliban to encourage the militant group to reach a peace deal with the US,” CNN reported.

The Washington Post pegged their story with Trump saying that he is capable of ending the Afghan conflict “in a week…,” Their headline read, “Trump claims progress in Afghanistan peace talks, says Pakistan is now helping because of him.”

“I think Pakistan can do a tremendous amount against, with respect to, Afghanistan,” the Post quoted the Q&A session at the White House. “They didn’t do it, and I don’t blame them because they were dealing with the wrong president,” maintained Trump.

India Today pegged their story with India denying President Trump’s claim on mediating on the Kashmir issue and downplayed the security issues due to the Afghan conflict.

Their headline read, “Trump says PM Modi asked him to mediate in Kashmir dispute, India denies claim.”

“Trump told Imran Khan that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to mediate in the dispute,” India Today reported.

The Indian Express covered the event on the same lines. Their headline read, “Trump tells Imran Khan: PM Modi asked me to help with ‘disputed’ Kashmir region.”

“It has been India’s consistent position that all outstanding issues with Pakistan are discussed only bilaterally,” the publication quoted one of the minsters.

Hindustan Times and Times Now also pegged their stories by Modi asking Trump to mediate between Pakistan and India on Kashmir issue and denying that such requests were made.