New York/Washington: US President Donald Trump on Sunday praised the “strong and unwaveringly powerful” leadership of India and Pakistan for reaching a “ceasefire” and offered to work with them for a “solution” on the Kashmir issue.
India has always maintained that the Kashmir issue is a bilateral matter and there is no space for any third party. India asserts that the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh are and always will be integral and inalienable parts of it.
“I will work with you both to see if, after a “thousand years,” a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir. God Bless the leadership of India and Pakistan on a job well done!!!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
His comments came hours after India and Pakistan on Saturday reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea, with immediate effect.
“I am very proud of the strong and unwaveringly powerful leadership of India and Pakistan for having the strength, wisdom, and fortitude to fully know and understand that it was time to stop the current aggression that could have lead (led) to the death and destruction of so many, and so much,” Trump said.
“Millions of good and innocent people could have died! Your legacy is greatly enhanced by your brave actions. I am proud that the USA was able to help you arrive at this historic and heroic decision,” Trump said.
He went on to say that even though this has not been discussed, he is going to “increase trade substantially with both of these great Nations.”
In Islamabad, Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Sunday said it appreciates President Trump’s “willingness to support efforts aimed at the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute”.
Trump on Saturday announced that India and Pakistan have agreed to a “full and immediate ceasefire” after a “long night” of talks.
Soon after Trump’s announcement, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that the directors general of military operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan have agreed to stop all firings and military action on land, air and sea with effect from 5 pm (IST) on Saturday.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday said that over the past 48 hours, Vice President J D Vance and he engaged with senior Indian and Pakistani officials, “including Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, and National Security Advisors Ajit Doval and Asim Malik.”
“I am pleased to announce the Governments of India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site,” Rubio said.
Vance had also expressed gratitude to the leaders of India and Pakistan for their “hard work and willingness to engage in this ceasefire.”
“Great work from the President’s team, especially Secretary Rubio. And my gratitude to the leaders of India and Pakistan for their hard work and willingness to engage in this ceasefire,” Vance said in a post on X.
