US says Kashmir is India-Pakistan bilateral issue, will not intervene

Kashmir is a “direct issue” between India and Pakistan and the US has no interest in “asserting” itself between the South Asian neighbours on the matter, a senior State Department official said here.

The senior State Department official said Wednesday that it is a “longstanding” policy of the US that Kashmir is a “direct issue” between India and Pakistan.

The official added that if the US is asked to offer its good offices on any issue, it is ready to help.

US President Donald Trump has “enough crises” on his hands and “we leave that (issue of Kashmir) up to India and Pakistan to solve,” the official told reporters at a briefing. “We have no interest in asserting ourselves between India and Pakistan.” In his address to the UN General Assembly, Trump declared again that he had stopped the conflict between India and Pakistan.

The senior State Department official also said that “it is a fact that the United States was involved in that crisis and absolutely helped broker that ceasefire.” The official also said that “it is a fact that the United States was involved in that crisis and absolutely helped broker that ceasefire.” India maintains that it does not want any third-party involvement in its discussions with Pakistan on issues such as terrorism, as New Delhi believes they must remain bilateral.