US mediation offer
Listen to article
The Kashmir dispute is not a regional fault line. It is a global flashpoint — one that demands more than sterile diplomatic statements and historical posturing. The recent military flare-up between Pakistan and India, the most serious between the two in decades, brought the subcontinent dangerously close to open conflict. A ceasefire was achieved, but not through bilateral diplomacy — it was the intervention from none other than the President of the United States of America that helped defuse the escalation that threatened what is called mutually agreed destruction. This begs the question: can the Kashmir dispute be resolved without the active involvement of a major world power?
For far too long, India has been averse to third-party mediation, insisting that Kashmir is a bilateral matter in line with the Shimla Agreement of 1972. This rigid stance has, in effect, blocked any meaningful dialogue while allowing the conflict to fester. But the latest developments suggest a subtle shift. New Delhi and Islamabad, while not openly inviting mediation, allowed space for President Donald Trump to intervene — a notable departure from past rejections of third-party involvement. Just yesterday, the US Department of State reiterated Trump's willingness to help resolve the Kashmir issue, stating that "each step that he takes is made to solve generational differences between countries".
This statement, while significant, should be viewed with cautious optimism considering the chequered US history. The stakes are too high to leave the longstanding Kashmir issue to empty slogans or rigid bilateralism. And as long as it remains unresolved, it will continue to poison relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbours and destabilise an already fragile region.
Whether it is Trump or any other global leader, only a credible and powerful mediator can help break the deadlock. Currently, the US — which enjoys leverage over both Islamabad and New Delhi — remains best placed to lead that effort.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
2 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Iran to retain uranium enrichment rights, warns of potential Israeli strike
Atomic symbol and Iranian flag are seen in this illustration taken September 8, 2022. PHOTO: REUTERS Listen to article Iran will not abandon its right to uranium enrichment because of mounting frictions in the region, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday, adding that a "friendly" regional country had alerted Tehran over a potential military strike by Israel. The official said the tensions were intended to "influence Tehran to change its position about its nuclear rights" during talks with the United States on Sunday in Oman. He did not disclose the name of the regional country that warned Iran about the Israeli attack. US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday US personnel were being moved out of the Middle East because it could become a dangerous place, adding that the United States would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. Tehran and Washington will hold a new round of talks, mediated by Omani officials, in Muscat to resolve a decades-long standoff over Iran's nuclear ambitions. "We don't want tensions and prefer diplomacy to resolve the (nuclear) issue, but our armed forces are fully ready to respond to any military strike," the Iranian official said. After five rounds of discussions between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, several obstacles remain. They include Iran's rejection of a US demand that Tehran commit to scrapping uranium enrichment. Iran wants a lifting of US sanctions imposed on the country since 2018 after Trump ditched Tehran's 2015 nuclear pact with six powers during his first term. On Sunday's meeting in Oman's capital, Iran is expected to share a counterproposal to a US offer to bridge the gaps. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has dismissed the US proposal as against Iran's interests, pledging to continue enrichment on Iranian soil, which Western powers view as a potential pathway to building nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes.
Express Tribune
2 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Trump offers to mediate Kashmir dispute, says 'I can solve anything'
US President Donald Trump gestures, as he departs for Pennsylvania, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, U.S., May 30, 2025. Photo: Reuters Listen to article US President Donald Trump on Thursday again claimed credit for easing recent India-Pakistan tensions, saying he prevented a potential nuclear war by using trade pressure and direct diplomacy. "I stopped a war between India and Pakistan, and I stopped it with trade," Trump told reporters after a bill signing event. "Pakistan, now, it was their turn to hit, and eventually they're going to go nuclear." Trump said he made personal calls to both Indian and Pakistani leaders at the height of tensions. "I called each leader, I respect them greatly. I talked about trade. I said, but you're not trading with us if you're going to go to war, if you're going to start throwing nuclear weapons around." "They understood it exactly. They stopped," he added. He praised his is role in preventing casualties, saying: "I stopped that war with phone calls and trade." "And India is here right now negotiating a trade deal, and Pakistan is coming, I think, next week," he added. In response to a question, Trump said, 'We're going to get them together. I told them, India and Pakistan … they have a longtime rivalry over Kashmir. I told them 'I can solve anything.' 'I will be your arbitrator. I will be your arbitrator. I can solve anything.' India and Pakistan saw one of the worst hostilities last month, sparked by an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, where unidentified gunmen killed 26 people, mostly Indian tourists, at the Pahalgam tourist site. New Delhi said the attack had "cross-border links," but Islamabad denied the claims and offered a neutral probe. It led to an exchange of blame and denials, eventually escalating to retaliatory air strikes and drone attacks. Tensions eased after Trump announced a May 10 ceasefire, which remains in effect.
Business Recorder
11 hours ago
- Business Recorder
NATO chief hopeful of spending deal as meets allies in Rome
ROME: NATO chief Mark Rutte said Thursday he was 'pretty confident' of getting a deal on boosting defence spending at a summit later this month, as he met European allies in Rome. He joined foreign ministers and diplomats from Italy, France, Germany, Britain, Poland, Spain, Ukraine and the EU to discuss defence spending and their support for Kyiv, as Russia escalates its bombardments. The meeting of the so-called 'Weimar+' group comes ahead of a G7 summit in Canada on June 15-17, where allies will push US President Donald Trump to be more aggressive in punishing the Kremlin. It will be followed by a NATO meeting in The Hague on June 24-25, where the focus will be reaching a deal that satisfies Trump's demands to spend five percent of GDP on defence. Rutte is urging NATO members to commit to 3.5 percent of GDP on direct military spending by 2032, and an additional 1.5 percent on broader security-related expenditure. NATO chief to urge 400-percent rise in alliance's air defence 'We are discussing the final decisions we will take in The Hague. I'm pretty confident indeed… that we will get to a joint position, all 32 (members)', he told reporters heading into the talks in Rome. He praised Trump's efforts to reach a peace deal in Ukraine by talking directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying 'he broke the deadlock' – even if the discussions are stalled. Russia has fired record numbers of drones and missiles at Ukraine over recent weeks, escalating three years of daily bombardments as it outlines hardline demands – rejected by Kyiv as 'ultimatums' – to halt the war. Rutte noted that Russia had sent a historian to talks in Istanbul, 'explaining more or less that Ukraine is at fault here. I think that's not helpful, but at least, step by step, we try to make progress'. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, the meeting host whose country spends 1.5 percent of GDP on defence, said he was 'very happy' with Rutte's spending plan. 'For Italy it's important to spend more but we need more time, 10 years, I think it is more or less possible to achieve this goal,' he said.
