Face of Nation : A day after US President Donald Trump called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi,asking India and Pakistan to work towards reducing tensions in Kashmir, US Defence Secretary Mark T Esper spoke to Defence Minister Rajnath SinghTuesday and “appreciated India’s position that the recent developments in Jammu & Kashmir are an internal matter of India”.
This is the first time that the US has described the current J&K situation as India’s “internal matter”. The remarks come days after Russia became the first UN Security Council permanent member to underline that the changes in J&K have been carried out “within the framework” of India’s Constitution.
Earlier, hours after Modi told Trump that “extreme rhetoric and incitement to anti-India violence” by certain leaders in the region was “not conducive to peace”, the US President asked Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan late Monday to “moderate” his rhetoric over J&K.
During his conversation with Khan, Trump “reaffirmed the need to avoid escalation of the situation, and urged restraint” on both sides, the White House said.
“US Secretary of Defence appreciated India’s position that the recent developments in Jammu & Kashmir are an internal matter of India. He hoped that any issue between India and Pakistan will be resolved bilaterally,” the ministry said.
The US Embassy spokesperson in Delhi confirmed the phone conversation with Esper.Trump, who called Modi Monday evening before speaking to Khan, tweeted Tuesday morning: “Spoke to my two good friends, Prime Minister Modi of India, and Prime Minister Khan of Pakistan, regarding trade, strategic partnerships and, most importantly, for India and Pakistan to work towards reducing tensions in Kashmir.” He also tweeted: “A tough situation, but good conversations!”
