Talks on Kashmir to be only with Pakistan: S Jaishankar to Mike Pompeo

NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Friday responded to US President Donald Trump’s offer to mediate again on Kashmir issue by asserting that any dialogue with Pakistan on the matter, if at all warranted, will take place bilaterally.

Jaishankar conveyed this to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit Foreign Minister and ASEAN meetings in Thailand.

He later tweeted, “Have conveyed to American counterpart Mike Pompeo, this morning in clear terms that any discussion on Kashmir, if at all warranted, will only be with Pakistan and only bilaterally.”



“Wide ranging discussions with @SecPompeo on regional issues,” Jaishankar said in another tweet. “The two discussed our shared commitment to upholding the rule of law, freedom of navigation and democratic values in the Indo-Pacific region. The secretary reaffirmed the positive trajectory of the USIndia strategic partnership,” according to US State Department spokesperson.

Hours before Jaishankar-Pompeo meet, Trump broached the topic of mediating between India and Pakistan for a second time over the Kashmir issue within two weeks. Trump on Thursday had stated it was up to India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue but he was ready to assist if the two countries wanted him to help in resolving the decades-old dispute. The US President was referring to his last week’s meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, wherein he offered to help to resolve the Kashmir issue. India has rejected the offer making it clear that there can’t be any third party intervention on the issue. "It is really up to Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi (to accept the offer of mediation),” Trump had told reporters responding to a question on India not accepting his offer of mediation on Kashmir.