TRUMP’S KASHMIR MEDIATION OFFER NOT ON TABLE ANYMORE: INDIAN ENVOY

14/08/2019

WASHINGTON, Aug 13: US President Donald Trump has made it very clear that his offer to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue is not on the table anymore after New Delhi rejected it, India ambassador to the US, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, said on Monday (local time).
"President Trump has made it very clear that his offer to mediate on Jammu and Kashmir is dependent on both India and Pakistan. Since India has not accepted his offer, the president has made it clear that this is not on the table anymore," the Indian envoy said in an interview with Bret Baier of Fox News.
"It has been the United States long-standing policy. The United Nations Secretary-General was also very clear that this issue has to be resolved bilaterally between India and Pakistan in keeping with the agreements-- the Shimla Agreement and the Lahore declaration-- that the two countries had signed. This is not an issue that needs to be settled with a third party and President Trump has clarified it," Shringla added.
Tensions simmered between the two neighbours following New Delhi's historic decision to abrogate Article 370 that accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and transform it into Union Territories, with effect from October 31.
Rattled by India's decision, Pakistan had initiated a series of measures against its neighbour, including the downgrading of bilateral ties and suspension of cross-border communication of railways and bus services.
Followingly, India had urged Pakistan to review its decision but the request was refuted by Islamabad.
Referring to the ongoing crisis in the region, Shringla stated, "India's decision is an administrative one. It is the 12th time that India is taking such reorganisation of states. It does not in any way impinge on the borders of Jammu and Kashmir or the international borders and it is, therefore, an internal matter of India."
"We have taken this decision because we have found that over 70 years the level of development in the state has been hampered due to the special status that it enjoyed, which was, in any case, a temporary provision in the Indian Constitution. And now the intention is to ensure good governance and socio-economic justice reaches the state," he added.
In the wake of India's decision, Pakistan has also urged the international community, including groups such as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, to interfere in the matter and called for restraint against the so-called "illegal aggression" of New Delhi in the region.
India's decision to reorganise Jammu and Kashmir and to scrap Article 370 is an internal matter as it does not violate any border or international line of control, said India Ambassador to US Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday.
In an interview with Fox News, Shringla said, "It is important to distinguish between truth and distortion and what you have heard is a great deal of the latter."
"India has reorganised the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories with legislative assembly and council. It does not in any way impinge the border of Jammu and Kashmir and international line of control and is, therefore, an internal matter of the country" the Indian envoy said.
Shringla said that India has taken the decision to do away with provisional Article 370 because it was "hankering" with the growth in the erstwhile state.
"We have taken this decision because we have found that over 70 years the development in the state has been hankered by the so-called special status that the state enjoyed. It is a temporary provision under the constitution and now the intention is to ensure the good governance and socio-economic justice reaches the state," he said.
Last week, New Delhi had revoked Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and enacted the law that bifurcates the state into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir with Assembly and Ladakh without it.
When asked about present restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir, Shringla said: "These measures were temporary and preventive in nature we know the possibilities of the cross border of infiltration and terrorism and we know there would be incitement of violence. We have taken preventive steps."
Talking about US President Donald Trump's offer to mediate in the Kashmir issue, Shringla said India has rejected Trump offer as Kashmir is a bilateral issue and New Delhi and Islamabad must solve it jointly. (ANI)

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