Why Kashmir is not holding its breath on Trump offer to mediate

On May 10, following four days of military clashes, United States President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. There was no mention of Kashmir, though the US secretary of state did offer support in “initiating constructive talks” between the two countries on a “broad set of issues”.

A day later, however, Trump offered his help to the two countries to find a solution to the Kashmir dispute.

Trump’s announcement did not go down well with New Delhi, since it is India’s long-standing position that it is a bilateral matter. Moreover, the Narendra Modi government’s position, after it scrapped Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and downsized it into a union territory in August 2019, is that there is no Kashmir dispute. The prospect of US intervention was refuted by the Ministry of External Affairs.

But Kashmir’s response to Trump’s offer to mediate has been missing from the debate so far.

Neither Kashmir’s mainstream politicians nor separatist leaders have made their stand clear on Trump’s offer.

Political observers said that Trump’s offer of intervention has been viewed as a “positive development” in Kashmir. “Any attempt, whether at local or international level, to resolve the Kashmir dispute is generally welcomed in Kashmir,” said a political science scholar, who...

Read more