July 23, 2019
Saugata Roy speaks on statement made by US President Donald Trump: Mediation in Kashmir and his conversation with Indian PM
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Sir, thank you for allowing me to speak on this very sensitive issue and as instructed by you, I shall keep the broader national interest in mind. This is highly sensitive and concerns our foreign relations. The American President Donald Trump is reported to have said yesterday that he would love to be a mediator on the Kashmir issue.
I am explaining how the matter came up. The Prime Minister and President Trump met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka two weeks ago and there the Prime Minister is supposed to have asked him whether he would like to mediate on Kashmir. President Trump had supposedly said, “I would love to”. This is in contravention of all past positions held by India, that Kashmir is a bilateral issue, and for that matter, any bilateral issue involving Pakistan would not invite third-party mediation, and that Kashmir is an integral part of India.
By asking Mr Trump to mediate in Kashmir, the Prime Minister seems to have violated the basic premise and compromised the territorial integrity of India. That is why I would not like a reply from Mr Jaishankar, who is a professional diplomat and would couch his reply in all sorts of high-sounding phrases. I want a direct reply from the Prime Minister. I want the Prime Minister to reply whether Mr Trump has lied or not.
