New Delhi: The government on Thursday said it was time to move on from United States President Donald Trump's claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to mediate between India and Pakistan to sort out the Kashmir issue.
"As far as his (Trump's) comment on Kashmir is concerned, it is time to move on. We have explained our position in Parliament, the (US) State Department has issued a clarification," said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar when questioned about Trump's earlier comments. "India-US ties are multifaceted. Our relationship with the US remains very strong."
Trump on Monday had claimed that Modi had asked him to play the role of a mediator on Kashmir. The comments, made at a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in Washington, had kicked up a storm back in Delhi, with opposition parties demanding that Modi provide a clarification.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar later told the Rajya Sabha that Modi had made no such request to Trump, and that all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan would be discussed only bilaterally. "I would like to categorically state that no such request has been made by the Prime Minister to the US President," he said after the Congress and other opposition parties raised the issue in the House.
In an effort to control the damage, the US State Department said the Kashmir issue was a "bilateral" one between India and Pakistan and the US "welcomes" the two countries "sitting down" for talks.
"We believe the foundation for any successful dialogue between India and Pakistan is based on Pakistan taking sustained and irreversible steps against militants and terrorists on its territory. These actions are in line with Prime Minister (Imran) Khan's stated commitments, and Pakistan's international obligations," a spokesperson of the State Department spokesperson had said.
Comments
0 comment