New Delhi: A day after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar clarified in Parliament that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not sought help from US President Donald Trump to mediate on the Kashmir issue, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh too said there was no question of arbitration on the issue.
Making a statement in the Lok Sabha after the Congress walked out of the House over Modi’s absence and constant silence over the issue, Singh said there was no discussion on Kashmir in the meeting between Trump and Modi in Japan recently and there was no question of any mediation on the issue.
He added that mediation on the Kashmir issue was ruled out as it is a question of national pride for India. "There was no discussion on Kashmir during the meeting between the Prime Minister and US President Trump in June. There is no question of any mediation on Kashmir issue," he said.
Trump had on Monday claimed during a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan that Modi had asked him to play the role of a mediator on Kashmir. The statement had set off a political storm in India, forcing Jaishankar to clarify that Modi had made no such request. The Congress, however, shot down Jaishankar’s clarification and demanded that the prime minister clear the air.
Trump’s statement was also widely panned in the United States, with US Congressman Brad Sherman termed Trump’s statement “amateurish, delusional and embarrassing".
In a tweet posted on Tuesday, Sherman said PM Modi would never suggest third-party mediation on Kashmir. "Everyone who knows anything about foreign policy in South Asia knows that India consistently opposes third-party mediation on Kashmir. Everyone knows PM Modi would never suggest such a thing. Trump's statement is amateurish and delusional and embarrassing."
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