Trump for reducing Pak-India tension

ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump has initiated telephonic diplomacy between Pakistan and India for lowering the tension in the region as he spoke with Prime Minister Imran Khan and India’s Narendra Modi on Monday.

He urged reduction of tension between Pakistan and India over the Kashmir dispute. The US president conveyed the importance of reducing tensions between Pakistan and India and maintaining peace in the region, White House Spokesperson Hogan Gidley said in a statement.

The US president conversed with Prime Minister Imran Khan second time in less than a week on the standoff between Pakistan and India.

It was later confirmed by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi as he said at a press conference that US President Trump made a call to Prime Minister Imran Khan after his talks with Modi and discussed the prevailing situation in Indian Held Kashmir. Qureshi said Trump called Modi after his talks with Prime Minister Imran on Aug 16. Trump in the call expressed desire of lowering tensions between Pakistan and India, said Qureshi.

Prime Minister Khan told Trump that a curfew had been in place across the Indian-Held Kashmir (IHK) for the last 15 days.

The prime minister had said that as per our information, thousands of Kashmiris, including the local leadership, had been detained and several of them had also been sent out of Indian-Held Kashmir, he said while talking about the latest discussion between the two leaders.

According to Qureshi, the prime minister had told Trump that as per his viewpoint, the situation in IHK merited visits of observers from human rights organisations. He quoted the prime minister as saying that India should uphold international law and its commitments to the international community. “We are foreseeing a humanitarian crisis in IHK in the making,” he said, adding that the curfew in the region should be lifted and restrictions ended. The two leaders further discussed how they would continue to strengthen the US-India economic ties through increased trade, and they look forward to meeting again soon.