Tone down anti-India rant: Trump to Imran

Washington dc/new delhi: US President Donald Trump has asked Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to "moderate" his rhetoric against India over Kashmir. Trump underlined the need for exercising restraint by both sides and avoid escalation of the "tough situation" in the region.

Trump on Monday spoke separately to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Khan in his bid to ease fresh Indo-Pak tensions.

Trump's counsel to Khan came as Prime Minister Modi, during his telephonic conversation with the US president, conveyed that the "extreme rhetoric and incitement" to anti-India violence by certain leaders in the region was not conducive to peace.

After his 30-minute conversation with Modi, Trump held a telephonic communication with Khan, the second in less than a week.

"Spoke to my two good friends, Prime Minister Modi of India, and Prime Minister Khan of Pakistan, regarding trade, strategic partnerships and, most importantly, for India and Pakistan to work towards reducing tensions in Kashmir," Trump said in a tweet late on Monday.

"A tough situation, but good conversations!" the US president said.

The White House in a readout of the phone call between Trump and Khan said the President spoke with the Pakistani prime minister to discuss "the need to reduce tensions and moderate rhetoric with India over the situation in Jammu and Kashmir."

Continuing with his rhetoric against India over the Kashmir issue, Khan on Sunday called the Indian government "fascist" and "supremacist", alleging that it poses a threat to Pakistan as well as to the minorities in India.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a telephonic conversation with his US counterpart Mark T Esper on Tuesday during which he raised the issue of cross-border terrorism directed against India, officials said. Singh also conveyed to Esper that issues relating to abrogation of provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution are internal matters of India.

"The US secretary of defence appreciated India's position that the recent developments in Jammu and Kashmir are an internal matter of India. He hoped that any issue between India and Pakistan would be resolved bilaterally," one of the officials said.