Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Trump speaks to "good friends" Modi and Khan over "tough situation" in Kashmir

US president Donald Trump urged prime minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistan counterpart Imran Khan to work towards reducing tension in the region over Kashmir, describing the situation as "tough".

Trump asked Khan over phone on Monday to "moderate rhetoric" with India, soon after a 30-minute conversation with Modi, during which the Indian leader raised the issue "extreme rhetoric and incitement to anti-India violence" by leaders of Pakistan.


"Spoke to my two good friends, prime minister Modi of India, and prime minister Khan of Pakistan, regarding Trade, Strategic Partnerships and, most importantly, for India and Pakistan to work towards reducing tensions in Kashmir," the US President said in a tweet.

"A tough situation, but good conversations!" he said.

Earlier this month, India abrogated provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution to withdraw Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated the state into Union Territories, evoking strong reactions from Pakistan.

Continuing with his tirade against India over the Kashmir issue, Khan had on Sunday called the Indian government "fascist" and "supremacist", alleging that it poses a threat to Pakistan as well as to the minorities in India.

Welcoming Trump's call to Modi and Khan, New York-based Indian-American attorney Ravi Batra said the US president, speaking for all Americans, essentially told "our dear friends" in the subcontinent to live terror-free, be good neighbours and give their citizens a better tomorrow with law and order.

"While speech is free and protected, hate-speech weaponizes the citizenry, and leads to insurrection and civil unrest. America has had a love affair with India and Pakistan. It's time for a belated honeymoon on the subcontinent, even 73 years late," Batra said.

In a tweet, Batra urged Modi to invite Imran Khan for "bilateral tea" in Kashmir. "Like Abraham Lincoln, India has clamped down to prevent terror and establish law and order. Time to invite," he said.

Strongly defending Modi's move on Jammu and Kashmir, Japanese scholar Satoru Nagao, who is currently a visiting fellow at the Hudson Institute think-tank, said India needed to fortify Kashmir before the US withdraws from Afghanistan and Islamic radicals come to Kashmir.

"After US intervention in Afghanistan, the number of terrorist activities in J&K has decreased. Now, if US withdraw from Afghan, India needs to prepare. At the same time, to fortify Ladakh, separate and direct control will be effective measure for defend borders against China," Nagao said.

"China thinks Ladakh issue is related with their legitimacy of Aksai Chin. There is G219 road which connect between Tibet and Uighur. The road will connect with China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and part of BRI. China cannot move so strongly about Ladakh because of escalating US-China rivalry. But they will plan something as retaliation," he said.

"China can use same method to give AP state (Chinese say "South Tibet") special status or military build up, road construction in the Indo-China border area etc. Second Doklam is also an option. China can also use Pakistan as tool to increase pressure," Nagao claimed.

Sadanand Dhume, from the American Enterprise Institute think-tank, said India would be pleased with Trump reiterating that the issue needs to be resolved bilaterally.

"New Delhi will be pleased that Trump reiterated the US position: #Kashmir should be resolved bilaterally by India and Pakistan. Islamabad will be pleased that he tweeted about it at all keeps a spotlight on the issue," he tweeted.

However, Michael Kugelman, from the Widrow Wilson Center think-tank, said the presidential tweet makes a good optics for Pakistan.

"Not to burst any bubbles, but this is what US presidents do and have often done when things heat up on the Kashmir front: They advise India and Pakistan to work things out. That said, given recent developments, this tweet makes for good optics for Islamabad," Kugelman said.

More For You

Nottingham-attacks

Calocane killed university students Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber, along with school caretaker Ian Coates, on 13 June 2023. (Photo: Getty Images)

Report finds Valdo Calocane rejected medication before Nottingham killings

AN INDEPENDENT investigation into the mental health care of Valdo Calocane, who killed three people in Nottingham in June 2023, has found that he was not forced to take injectable antipsychotic medication because he disliked needles.

The full report was released by NHS England following pressure from the victims' families.

Keep ReadingShow less
aga-khan-reuters-lead

A long-time friend of the late Queen Elizabeth, Aga Khan IV was appointed KBE in 2004. (Photo: Reuters)

Aga Khan IV: Bridging faith, philanthropy, and development

HIS HIGHNESS Prince Karim al-Husseini, known as the Aga Khan, led the Ismaili Muslim community for nearly seven decades while building one of the world’s largest private development networks.

As the 49th hereditary imam of the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam, he combined religious leadership with extensive philanthropic efforts across Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tulsi Gabbard

Gabbard, 43, has faced bipartisan concerns over her suitability for the role overseeing US intelligence agencies. (Photo: Getty Images)

Tulsi Gabbard moves closer to US intelligence chief role

TULSI GABBARD, former Democratic congresswoman and president Donald Trump's nominee for Director of National Intelligence (DNI), has been approved by a key Senate committee in a private vote, moving her nomination forward to a full Senate vote.

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, led by Republicans, voted 9-8 along party lines to advance Gabbard’s nomination. A full Senate vote on her confirmation is expected as early as next week, according to the Washington Post.

Keep ReadingShow less
Aga-Khan-Getty

Over the years, the Aga Khan became both a prominent philanthropist and a business magnate, balancing religious leadership with global development work. (Photo: Getty Images)

Aga Khan, Ismaili Muslim leader and philanthropist, dies at 88

HIS HIGHNESS Prince Karim Al-Hussaini, Aga Khan IV, the spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslim community and head of a vast philanthropic network, died on Tuesday at the age of 88.

His Aga Khan Development Network and the Ismaili religious community announced that His Highness Prince Karim Al-Hussaini, the 49th hereditary imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, passed away in Portugal, surrounded by his family.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lucy Letby

Letby, 35, is serving 15 whole-life sentences for the deaths of babies at neo-natal units in northwest England between 2015 and 2016.

Review launched into Lucy Letby case after experts challenge evidence

A REVIEW has been launched into the case of Lucy Letby, a nurse sentenced to life imprisonment for killing seven newborn babies, as medical experts argue there was no evidence to support her conviction.

Letby, 35, is serving 15 whole-life sentences for the deaths of babies at neo-natal units in northwest England between 2015 and 2016. She was convicted of murdering seven newborns and attempting to kill seven others at the Countess of Chester Hospital, making her the most prolific child serial killer in modern UK history.

Keep ReadingShow less