WASHINGTON, JUN 11 (DNA): Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts appear to have borne fruit as the US Department of State has expressed hope that President Donald Trump will help resolve the longstanding Kashmir dispute during his tenure in office.
This correspondent had submitted questions to the State Department, inquiring about the recent engagement between Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Allison Hooker, and a Pakistani parliamentary delegation led by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Specifically, queries were raised about whether the United States had assured the Pakistani side of using its good offices to bring India to the negotiating table so that all outstanding issues could be discussed and the ceasefire sustained.
Responding to these questions, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated, “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.”
Bilawal led the nine-member delegation to New York and Washington before departing for London and Brussels. During his stay from May 31 to June 6, he met with more than a dozen members of the US House of Representatives and Senate.
In addition, he held talks with a senior State Department official to present Pakistan’s position regarding Indian aggression, the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, and inflammatory statements from the Modi government. Interestingly, an Indian delegation was also visiting Washington at the same time.
“We also know that 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,” Bruce added.
Following what was described as a humiliating episode for India in the wake of Pakistan’s military response, several countries, including the United States, initiated efforts to de-escalate tensions and uphold the ceasefire agreement.
Taking credit for the ceasefire initiative, President Trump went a step further by offering to mediate between Pakistan and India to resolve all outstanding issues, including the core dispute of Kashmir.
Posting on his Truth Social platform, President Trump wrote, “I will work with you, both to see if, after a ‘thousand years,’ a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir.”
Pakistan has welcomed this gesture. However, India has rebuffed the mediation offer, maintaining its long-standing position that Kashmir is a bilateral issue.
When asked about any follow-up on Trump’s offer — such as whether he might host the prime ministers of both countries or support a UN Security Council resolution — Bruce said she could not comment on the President’s plans.
However, she emphasised that President Trump’s actions are always aimed at resolving long-standing global conflicts. “So it doesn’t — it shouldn’t surprise anyone that he’d want to manage something like that. He seems very much to be — and not just seems but he is — has been the only one to bring certain people to the table to have conversations that nobody thought was possible,” Bruce remarked.
It is worth noting that, at the time the ceasefire was agreed upon, both India and Pakistan were expected to meet at a neutral venue to discuss unresolved matters. However, no visible progress has been made, and all sides remain tight-lipped about the next steps.
“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. And so it’s — every day brings something new, and I hope perhaps something like that can also get resolved before the President,” Bruce concluded.
Observers believe that the upcoming United Nations General Assembly session in New York this September could serve as a potential venue for a historic meeting between the prime ministers of Pakistan and India, possibly under President Trump’s leadership.
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