The U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed his concern over the fact that India and Pakistan are both nuclear countries and asked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran to settle the dispute over Kashmir.
President Trump first met Prime Minister Modi during the Modi's address to the Indian community in Houston. The two then met on Tuesday during bilateral talks between the two. Trump also met Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan in New York on Monday.
Trump also described as "very aggressive" the statement made by Prime Minister Modi during the 'Howdy, Modi' community event in Houston during which the Indian leader had made a veiled reference to Pakistan and its alleged support for terrorism.
"I heard a very aggressive statement yesterday. I was there. I didn't know I was going to hear that statement...but I was sitting there. And I heard a very aggressive statement yesterday, from India, from the prime minister," Trump said.
On Trump's new offer for mediation on Kashmir dispute, Indian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told the media that India was clear on its position over mediation. The Indian spokesman claimed that the meeting between Trump and Modi was in the context of counter-terrorism.
New Delhi has always turned down the proposal to hold a dialogue with Pakistan over Kashmir, citing it as an internal matter.
According to India Today, "this statement, which Donald Trump has repeated multiple times in recent days, has something for everyone: Trump doesn't have to admit he lied about PM Narendra Modi asking him to mediate, Islamabad can take comfort from Washington's assurance that it is there to help if needed, while Delhi can continue what it has been doing all along: Maintain that Kashmir is India's internal matter."
UK Labor Party demands right to self-determination for Kashmir
Tellingly the UK's Opposition Labor Party has passed an emergency motion on Kashmir calling for party leader Jeremy Corbyn to seek international observers to "enter" the region and demand the right of self-determination for its people.
"The conference urges the Labour party to ask Jeremy Corbyn or ensure someone from the labor party is represented to attend the UNHRC to demand the restoration of basic human rights including the freedom of speech and communication, the lifting of curfews, and to allow the humanitarian aid organization and international observers to enter the region," reads the resolution.
The resolution also calls for Corbyn to meet the high commissioners (envoys) of both India and Pakistan to ensure there is "mediation" and restoration of peace and normality to prevent a potential nuclear conflict.
The resolution states: "Accept that Kashmir is a disputed territory and the people of Kashmir should be given the right of self-determination in accordance with UN resolutions."
"The Labor party to stand with the Kashmiri people....this is vital as we stand for social justice and ethical foreign policy."
It notes that while the party conference is taking place in the UK, India and Pakistan are discussing the issue of Kashmir at the United Nations amid a major humanitarian crisis and several exchanges of fire across the Line of Control.
In an apparent reference to the revocation of Article 370, it condemns the house arrest and imprisonment of mainstream politicians and activists and restrictions on journalistic freedom, claiming that "ongoing communications blackout" continues to cause disruption for families.
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