WASHINGTON: The United States has signaled that President Donald Trump could play a mediating role in the longstanding Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India, amid renewed diplomatic efforts from Islamabad and rising regional tensions.
In response to inquiries regarding recent meetings between US officials and a Pakistani parliamentary delegation, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce confirmed that the issue of Kashmir had been raised during discussions.
“State Department officials, including Under Secretary for Political Affairs Hooker, met with the Pakistani parliamentary delegation during a visit they had to Washington last week. She reiterated US support for the ongoing ceasefire — as you might imagine, thank God — between Pakistan and India. They also discussed important issues to the bilateral relationship, including counterterrorism cooperation,” Bruce said.
The Pakistani delegation, led by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, visited Washington and New York from May 31 to June 6, engaging with over a dozen members of Congress and senior officials. Their discussions covered a range of topics, including regional security, Indian military actions, the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, and inflammatory rhetoric from the Modi government.
Interestingly, an Indian parliamentary delegation was also in Washington during the same period. According to Bruce, “Deputy Secretary Landau met with the Indian parliamentary delegation last week, and he also reaffirmed the United States’ strong support of India in the fight against terrorism, and strategic partnership between those two countries.”
Amid these developments, President Trump has expressed a willingness to mediate. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he stated, “I will work with you, both to see if, after a ‘thousand years,’ a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir.”
While Pakistan has welcomed the offer, India continues to reject third-party mediation, maintaining its stance that Kashmir is a bilateral issue. Bruce did not confirm whether Trump would host direct talks or back a UN Security Council resolution but remarked on the president’s approach.
“President Trump has been the only one to bring certain people to the table to have conversations that nobody thought were possible,” she said. “It shouldn’t surprise anyone that he’d want to manage something like that.”
Bruce further added, “So, while I can’t speak to his plans, the world knows his nature, and I can’t speak to any details of what he might have in that regard… But it is an exciting time that if we can get to a point in that particular conflict, thank God but also thank Secretary Rubio and President Trump and the vice president. It is — it’s a very interesting time.”
Observers suggest that the upcoming United Nations General Assembly session in New York this September could provide an opportunity for a significant diplomatic breakthrough, possibly under Trump’s mediation.