Surendra Kumar  

Donald Trump, the irrepressible and unpredictable President of the United States, who loves to remain in the headlines for the wrong reasons, has done it again. With Pakistani PM Imran Khan by his side in the Oval Office, in response to Khan's public appeal to intercede, Donald Trump reportedly said, "If I could help, I would love to be a mediator." That won't have ruffled any feathers in India. But his claim that during his talks with him on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Osaka last month, the Indian PM actually asked him: "Would you like to be a mediator or arbitrator?" has created a storm of sorts. Expectedly, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar has rubbished Trump's claim and put the record straight: "No such request has been made by PM@ Narendra Modi to US President. It has been India's consistent position that all outstanding issues with Pakistan are discussed only bilaterally. Any engagement with Pakistan would require an end to cross-border terrorism." Once again, this would have left the White House in no doubt about what India's position on the Kashmir issue is, irrespective of Trump's controversial claim. None, not even Modi's bitterest rivals, will believe that he could have made such a request. Since the Simla Agreement, no Indian PM has deviated from the bilateral track of the discussions on the Kashmir issue. The comment of the former J&K CM Omar Abdullah, "I personally think Trump is talking out of his hat when he says the PM asked for US involvement in solving the Kashmir issue," would resonate with most Indians. Shashi Tharoor, former MoS, External Affairs, has offered the most charitable and sensible comments on Trump's claim: "He (Trump) has either not been briefed or not understood what Modi was saying or what India's position is on third party mediation." This controversy would die down as have similar earlier ones, but it would have dashed whatever hopes Imran Khan might have harboured of getting India pressured by the US on the vexed Kashmir issue. As mature citizens of a proud nation, we shouldn't freak out on the reported desire of a US President who was once a reality show host and thinks conducting international relations is akin to hosting a TV show! If we jog up our memory, we would recollect that in the early months of his Presidency, Barack Obama had appointed the tough-talking Richard Holbrooke as the special envoy for India and Pakistan with the unstated objective of helping in the resolution of the Kashmir issue. It was only after India's strong protest that his designation was changed to US special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan. I believe, from time to time, serving Presidents of the US do express their willingness to mediate, knowing full well that India won't agree. This might be their recipe for keeping Pakistan in good humour. Having made our stand crystal clear, Trump's comments shouldn't be overblown. India-US relations are too strategically significant and too multi-dimensional to be allowed to be dented by such remarks. Let us face it: Since September 11, 2001, in their campaign against international terrorism, the US has eliminated more terrorists than the rest of the world put together. We have an ongoing cooperation of information-sharing to combat terrorism. The US pressure was crucial for getting Masood Azhar designated as international terrorist by the UN Sanctions Committee. Trump took the credit for getting Hafiz Saeed arrested by the Pakistani Government recently. The US is putting pressure on Pakistan through the IMF and FATF (Financial Action Task Force) to show seriousness in addressing the menace of terror emanating from its soil. India-US defence cooperation is booming; bilateral trade is expanding in spite of certain differences; numerous missions are operating in different fields, bringing the two countries closer. And notwithstanding inherent differences in its basic objectives, the Indo-Pacific vision offers considerable US-India convergence in handling the issues of the region. And while celebrating 20 years of India's victory in the Kargil conflict and commemorating the sacrifices of our brave soldiers, we should pause and thank the US for its role in hastening the end of the conflict. Remember President Bill Clinton's assertion in his address at the joint session of the Indian Parliament in March, 2000? As India is too touchy and sensitive about such words as mediation/arbitration, wellwishers of Pakistan, like Donald Trump, should press Pakistan to do the following: 1 Give up the obsession to achieve parity with India; she is four to five times bigger, more populous and more resourceful. 2 Don't waste your energies and resources in trying to inflict a thousand cuts on India; you can kill many innocent people, but you will not succeed in bleeding India white. 3 Stop daydreaming of wresting Kashmir from India; no Indian Government will ever let it happen. 4 Stop exporting terror to India. Stop breeding, sheltering and training terrorists; you have created a Frankenstein's monster which is destroying your whole society. 5 Your Gen-Next is entitled to enjoy the fruits of scientific, technological and innovative advancements and economic development for which peace is the first prerequisite, not indoctrination in jihad.

6 India is the driving engine of economic growth in South Asia. End hostility and terrorism against India and hold its hand in friendship. India and Pakistan together can propel SAARC as the ASEAN of South Asia. President Trump, if you do so, you can certainly contribute positively towards India-Pakistan relations without being called a mediator or an arbitrator! China, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other friends should also advise Pakistan on the above lines.

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The views expressed in the Article above are Author’s personal views and kashmiribhatta.in is not responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article.

Courtesy: The State Times: 2nd August, 2019