New Delhi: Hours after the United States rattled India with the suggestion that it would try and “find its place” in efforts to de-escalate Indo-Pak tensions and not wait till “something happens”, thereby indicating that President Donald Trump could play a role in such endeavours, India sent a strong signal to the US that the suggestion wasn’t welcome.
The Indian government reiterated that its position on the India-Pakistan issue being a bilateral one hadn’t changed. New Delhi in its response also urged the international community to put in place “international mechanisms” to address “terrorism emanating from Pakistan”, thereby singling out Pakistan-based terrorism as the main obstacle in ties between the two countries.
India was reacting to a comment made by the Indian-origin US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley that signalled an apparent change in the US stance of not engaging in Indo-Pakistan disputes. The previous administration under Barack Obama had maintained that Kashmir was a bilateral issue between the two South Asian neighbours.
Kashmir issue is bilateral, says India
India has also always maintained that the Kashmir issue is a bilateral one with Pakistan and has ruled out any third party mediation, either by the UN or the US.
The ministry of external affairs said, “The government’s position for bilateral redressal of all India-Pakistan issues in an environment free of terror hasn’t changed. We, of course, expect the international community and organisations to enforce international mechanisms and mandates concerning terrorism emanating from Pakistan.”
US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley earlier said, “It’s absolutely right that this administration is concerned about the relationship between India and Pakistan and very much wants to see how we de-escalate any sort of conflict going forward.”
