Biarritz/London: With President Donald Trump by his side, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday categorically rejected any scope for third party mediation on Kashmir, saying it was a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan, and "we don't want to trouble any third country" — a position that was immediately backed by the American leader who had recently offered to mediate.
In an apparent backtracking from his earlier comments, Trump said he feels that both India and Pakistan can resolve the Kashmir problem on their own. The two leaders appeared together to speak to the media after overnight talks on the sidelines of the G-7 summit and ahead of their formal meeting.
Modi and Trump were meeting for the first time after the Union government revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status by abrogating Article 370 and bifurcating the state into two Union Territories. New Delhi's move was severely criticised by Pakistani leadership, including Prime Minister Imran Khan, who made provocative anti-India statements, triggering tensions in bilateral ties.
"All the issues between India and Pakistan are of bilateral in nature, and we don't want to trouble any third country. We can discuss and resolve these issues bilaterally," Modi said.