Imran Khan is asking Donald Trump to intervene in Kashmir as promised

• Tensions along the Line of Control (LoC) between India and Pakistan have escalated.
• Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is asking US President Donald Trump to mediate the issue between the two countries.
• Khan is also asking that the citizens of Kashmir be ‘allowed to exercise their right to self determination according to UN SC resolutions’.

Imran Khan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, has asked — yet again — asked US President Donald Trump to meditate on the issue of Kashmir with India.


Last month, Khan and Trump met in Washington after which Trump stated that the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, had asked him to ‘meditate’ on the ‘issue of Kashmir’. But, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) denied any such claims.


The recent flare up along the line of control (LoC) between the two countries has Khan calling for Trump again to help resolve the escalation of tensions that could result in a ‘regional crisis’.


Meanwhile, there is a lot of buzz around what steps India may take with respect to Kashmir but the government in New Delhi has maintained a radio silence in the face of rampant speculation.


There will be more action along the LoC over the next few days according to sources cited by the Times of India.

The Trump-Khan camaraderie

The relationship between Pakistan and the US was not always as friendly. Last year, Trump tweeted out that Pakistani’s have ‘given us nothing but lies and deceit’ as well as ‘safe haven’ to armed fighters.

However, the two sides have been seen warming up to each other over the last few weeks, during which Pakistan bought F-16 fighter jets worth $125 million from the US. These are the same jets that were used against India to retaliation to the 26 February Balakot air strike.

After Khan and Trump met in Washington, resolving the ‘issue of Kashmir’ wasn’t the only conflict resolution on the table. Trump offered his mediation with the implication that Pakistan would, in return, ‘extricate’ the US from 18-year war that they have been fighting in Afghanistan.

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