Indian envoy rejects US calls for mediation in Kashmir dispute

A top Indian envoy said the dispute over Kashmir is a bilateral issue with Pakistan, rejecting any external mediation on the matter despite the US saying it wanted to facilitate talks.

“For us, Kashmir is a bilateral issue, not an international issue,” High Commissioner of India to Singapore, Shilpak Ambule, told Bloomberg TV’s Haslinda Amin on Monday. “For us, the word mediation does not work with the Kashmir issue.”

India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday after four days of clashes that brought the nuclear-armed neighbours close to a full-blown war. The US said it helped mediate the de-escalation, but India has maintained that the uneasy truce was a result of bilateral talks.


The ceasefire happened because Pakistan Director General Military Operations “got in touch” with his Indian counterpart, said Ambule, adding that New Delhi had achieved its objective of “destroying the terrorist camps.”

Pakistan’s army has said that India first requested de-escalation.

Tensions between the two countries escalated sharply last week with drone and missile strikes on military sites. While there were reports of both sides violating the truce in the hours after it was called, the ceasefire appeared to be holding on Sunday.