Trump Says Offered To Help India, Pakistan With Arbitration, Mediation On Kashmir

US President Donald Trump said he discussed Kashmir with the top leadership of India and Pakistan during his meetings with them and offered to help with “arbitration or mediation” on the issue to the two nuclear-armed neighbors, who have to “work it out”.

Trump’s comments came a day after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session here where the two leaders mainly focused on issues related to terrorism emanating from Pakistan and the Indo-US bilateral trade.

India maintains that Kashmir is a bilateral issue and no third party has any role in it. Pakistan has been trying to internationalize the Kashmir issue after India withdrew the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, but New Delhi has asserted the abrogation of Article 370 was its “internal matter”.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, President Trump said he had “very productive conversations” with the leaders of India and Pakistan on the margins of the UN General Assembly.

“With respect to Pakistan and India, we talked about Kashmir. Whatever help I can be, I said, I offered, whether it’s arbitration or mediation or whatever it has to be,” Trump said in his opening remarks, offering to mediate for the fourth time.

Trump said he will “do whatever he can, because, they are at very serious odds right now and hopefully that will get better”.

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