US ready to help ease Indo-Pak tensions, Trump tells Imran

Ag Agencies

DAVOS: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Washington was willing to help ease tensions between India and Pakistan and would speak to Indian Premier Narendra Modi about the situation in Kashmir, as he met Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The two leaders were interacting with the press when Trump said regarding India-Pakistan tensions that the US was “watching very closely” and Washington was willing to resolve issues between the two countries. “We’re talking about Kashmir … if we can help, we certainly will be helping. We’ve been watching that and following it very, very closely,” said the US president.

Trump referred to Prime Minister Khan as his “friend” and said it was an honour to meet him again. “We will have a very good talk,” said the US president.

About Washington’s relations with Islamabad, Trump said: “We [US] have never been closer to Pakistan”, adding it was due to his relationship with the Prime Minister, which had been instrumental in bringing the two countries together.

When a reporter asked Trump whether he would visit Pakistan after his tour of India, the US president said evasively that he was meeting Prime Minister Khan here.

When it was his turn to speak, Khan told the press that the most important topic that was discussed between the two leaders was the Afghanistan reconciliation issue. The Prime Minister said the US and Pakistan were on the same page as far as talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government were concerned.

He said Pakistan’s issue with India was an important one as well. “We hope the US will play its part in resolving [tensions] because no other country can,” said Khan, adding Pakistan was willing to play its part in promoting peace and stability in the region.

The US president will visit India later this month. This will be his first tour of the country after becoming president. The last time Trump met Prime Minister Khan in 2019, he kicked up a frenzy in India when the US president said he would “mediate” to solve the issue of occupied Kashmir.

Tensions between India and Pakistan have been on the rise over the past couple of years. The two countries almost went to war in February last year when Indian fighter planes bombed Balakot, in response to the Pulwama attack.

On August 5, 2019, India revoked Article 370 of its constitution which gave special recognition to occupied Kashmir. The move sparked anger in Pakistan.