Trump: India, Pakistan Will Find Way Out of Faceoff

New Delhi/New York/London: In the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 tourists dead, United States President Donald Trump on Saturday (IST) said there have always been tensions between India and Pakistan and the two countries will figure it out between themselves “one way or the other”. Meanwhile, Pakistan offered to join any “neutral and transparent” probe into the Pahalgam terrorist attack. And there was a face-off in London between Indian diaspora groups who gathered to protest outside the Pakistan high commission and a Pakistani diplomat making throat-slitting gestures as they held up pictures of IAF pilot Abhinandan.

At a press gaggle with reporters aboard Air Force One on the way to Rome, the US President was quoted as saying, “I am very close to India and I'm very close to Pakistan, as you know… That (Pahalgam terror attack) was a bad one… So you know, it's the same as it's been, but they'll get it figured out one way or the other. I'm sure... I know both leaders. There is great tension between Pakistan and India. But there always has been," he said.

Sensing the global outrage, Islamabad on Saturday offered to join any “neutral and transparent” probe.

“The recent tragedy in Pahalgam is yet another example of this perpetual blame game, which must come to a grinding halt. Continuing with its role as a responsible country, Pakistan is open to participating in any neutral, transparent and credible investigation,” Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said while addressing the Army cadets passing-out parade at the Pakistan Military Academy in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Kakul.

Talking about the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty by India, Sharif said any attempt to stop, reduce or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan will be responded to with full force and might.

The Pakistani PM threatened to use all options if the water of its share was stopped by India. “Water is our lifeline and a vital national interest and its availability will be safeguarded at all costs and under all circumstances,” he said.

Sharif said the entire nation stood by the armed forces of Pakistan to safeguard every inch of the homeland. “Our valiant armed forces are capable and remain fully prepared to defend the country's sovereignty and its territorial integrity against any misadventure,” he said.

Amid the heightened tensions between the two neighbouring countries, there was a face-off in London between Indian diaspora groups who gathered to protest Pakistan-backed terrorism in the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attack and counter-protesters outside the Pakistan high commission there, which saw scenes of a Pakistani diplomatic official making threatening gestures.

In videos posted by Indian community groups from Friday evening's protest on social media, the Pakistani official could be seen taunting them from the balcony of the mission building. He was holding a poster of IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman with “Chai is Fantastic” written on it – a reference to his captivity in February, 2019.

The official, standing next to a large banner reading “Pakistan stands with Kashmiris”, could be seen making a threatening throat-slitting gesture towards the Indian protesters across the building. There was a strong metropolitan police security detail in place, with several officers lined up between both groups of demonstrators to ensure order.

The tense face-off saw Indians waving placards calling on Pakistan to “End Terror in Kashmir” alongside the Indian national flag. “Holding the Indian tricolour and placards reading ‘Stop Terrorism', we are here to condemn the killing of innocents by Pakistan's support of terrorism in Kashmir. We demand strict international action and urge the UK government to stand with India and reconsider its policy towards Pakistan,” a spokesperson for the Friends of India Society International (FISI) UK told news agencies.

“In a shocking and utterly deplorable display, a member of the Pakistani High Commission in the UK brandished a photo of India's Wing Commander Abhinandan and made a barbaric throat-slitting gesture during a protest over the Pahalgam attack — an act that reflects not only blatant hostility but also a dangerous disregard for diplomatic norms and human decency,” he added.