Trump will press Modi to reduce Kashmir tensions, respect human rights

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has again renewed his offer to mediate between India and Pakistan to resolve the longstanding Kashmir dispute.

President Trump said he is “ready to assist” India and Pakistan over the Kashmir issue if both sides ask for it, the White House said on Thursday, even as Washington was “very closely” monitoring the situation.

“President Trump will likely want to hear from Prime Minister Modi on how he plans to reduce regional tensions and uphold respect for human rights in Kashmir,” news agency ANI quoted senior US administration official as saying during a media briefing on the G7 summit in France.

“President Trump is also calling for Pakistan to prevent cross-border infiltration across the LoC & stop groups’ bases on its soil that have attacked India in the past,” senior US administration official added.

On Tuesday, after a brief conversation with Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan, the US President had offered to mediate on the Kashmir issue while urging the leaders of India and Pakistan to reduce tensions prevailing over the ‘very complicated place’.

Speaking with reporters in the White House on Tuesday, Trump had said, “Kashmir is a very complicated place. You have the Hindus, and you have the Muslims, and I wouldn’t say they get along so great. And that’s what you have right now.”