Trump offers to work with India, Pakistan on Kashmir ‘solution’

United States President Donald Trump has offered to enactment with India and Pakistan to execute a “solution” for the long-disputed Kashmir region, days aft his medication brokered a ceasefire betwixt the 2 nuclear-armed rivals.

“I volition enactment with you, some to spot if, aft a ‘thousand years,’ a solution tin beryllium arrived astatine concerning Kashmir,” Trump posted connected his Truth Social level connected Sunday.

The US president doubled down connected a historically inaccurate assertion that India and Pakistan person been warring for “a 1000 years” oregon more.

The Muslim-majority territory has been contested since the partition of British India successful 1947 into India and Pakistan. The 2 countries person fought 3 wars implicit the region. They some involvement a assertion implicit Kashmir arsenic a full but power parts of it.

India-administered Kashmir has seen decades of equipped rebellion either for independency oregon a merger with Pakistan. New Delhi has deployed much than 700,000 soldiers to quash the rebellion.

The authorities of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has truthful acold remained committed to a decades-old argumentation of refusing planetary mediation to find a solution to the Kashmir issue. In 2019, Modi’s authorities stripped India-administered Kashmir’s semiautonomy, further alienating the Kashmiris.

In its response, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said successful a connection connected Sunday that it appreciates Trump’s willingness to resoluteness the Kashmir issue, which has implications for bid and information successful South Asia and beyond.

“Pakistan reaffirms that immoderate conscionable and lasting colony of the Jammu and Kashmir quality indispensable beryllium successful accordance with the applicable United Nations Security Council resolutions and indispensable guarantee the realization of the cardinal rights of the Kashmiri people, including their inalienable close to self-determination,” it said.

India’s leaders person not straight commented, but Indian media quoted unnamed authorities sources arsenic saying nary determination has yet been made to prosecute successful talks connected thing beyond the ceasefire.

India and Pakistan agreed to halt each warring connected Saturday, but Trump was the archetypal idiosyncratic to denote the woody connected his online platform.

In his station connected Sunday, Trump took recognition for the ceasefire.

“I americium arrogant that the USA was capable to assistance you get astatine this historical and heroic decision,” helium wrote.

“While not adjacent discussed, I americium going to summation trade, substantially, with some of these large nations.”

The latest warring betwixt the 2 neighbours started erstwhile India attacked Pakistan successful the aftermath of a shooting attack successful India-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 civilians astatine a tourer location.

New Delhi again accused Pakistan of backing the “terrorist” groups that person launched galore deadly attacks successful India-administered Kashmir for decades.

Pakistan powerfully denies the charges, maintaining that India has supported “terrorism” successful its territory for galore years and the Pahalgam onslaught was a false-flag cognition to commencement a war.

The missile, drone and artillery attacks signified the astir superior warring betwixt the 2 countries since they became nuclear-armed powers decades ago.

‘Neutral’ tract for talks

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said connected Saturday that successful summation to the ceasefire, the 2 countries agreed to behaviour wide talks implicit a big of issues astatine a “neutral” tract soon.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif connected Saturday said his state believes successful the way of peaceful negotiations to resoluteness problems astir organisation of h2o resources and “all issues, including Jammu and Kashmir”.

But India has for decades refused to clasp negotiations implicit the contested portion arsenic it has tried to fortify its clasp implicit it.

Indian soldiers are deployed astatine a marketplace successful Srinagar successful India-administered Kashmir connected May 6, 2025 [Mukhtar Khan/AP]

Mohmad Waseem Malla, a probe chap astatine the International Centre for Peace Studies successful New Delhi, told Al Jazeera that Trump’s statement, though not wholly surprising, was “striking some successful code and substance” and apt to rise concerns successful New Delhi.

“Any proposition of third-party involvement, adjacent successful passing, crosses a reddish enactment for New Delhi – particularly nether the existent government, which has redefined the country’s overseas argumentation and its accent connected territorial sovereignty.”

He added that portion Trump’s notation of boosting commercialized and promoting bid whitethorn look conciliatory internationally, India’s home governmental clime and strategical priorities marque it hard to entertain specified offers close now.

“The cardinal volition beryllium however New Delhi calibrates its effect fixed existent sensitivities.”

The 2 countries besides person yet to resoluteness their differences implicit h2o organisation arsenic India’s suspension of its information successful the Indus Waters Treaty remains successful place.

In effect to the Pahalgam attack, India besides expelled Pakistani diplomats, subject advisers and visa holders; closed its main onshore borderline crossing and suspended trade; and launched a manhunt for the perpetrators.

Pakistan responded by kicking retired Indian officials and citizens, closing its airspace to Indian flights and threatening to propulsion retired of the Simla Agreement, which underpins the Line of Control successful Kashmir.