Against the backdrop of the Pakistani leadership’sbelligerent claims that India’s change of the status of Jammu and Kashmir couldlead to war, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told US President Donald Trump onMonday that “extreme rhetoric and incitement to anti-India violence” wasn’tconducive to peace.
Modi made the remarks during a 30-minute phone conversationwith Trump, according to an Indian readout. The contact between the two leaderscame amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of NewDelhi’s decision on August 5 to revoke Kashmir’s special status and split thestate into two union territories.A White House statement said Trump “conveyedtheimportance of reducing tensions between India and Pakistan and maintainingpeace in the region”.
Over the past few days, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khanhas repeatedly accused India of having plans to trigger a military conflict inKashmir, even saying that his country’s army had information that the Indiangovernment intended to “take action” in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. India hasdismissed these allegations and described the changes in Kashmir as purely aninternal matter.
Without referring to Pakistan and its leadership and theKashmir issue, the external affairs ministry’s readout of the phoneconversation quoted Modi as saying, in the context of the regional situation,that “extreme rhetoric and incitement to anti-India violence by certain leadersin the region was not conducive to peace”.Modi also “highlighted the importanceof creating an environment free from terror and violence and eschewingcross-border terrorism without exception”. India, he said, is committed to“cooperate with anyone who followed this path, in fighting poverty, illiteracyand disease”.India has for long linked any sort of engagement to Pakistanending its support for terror groups based on its soil. This condition has beenreiterated by the Indian leadership in the wake of the changes in Kashmir.
The phone conversation was the first contact between Modiand Trump since the US president triggered a storm by offering, during a July22 meeting with Khan, to mediate on the Kashmir issue. Since then, the USadministration has clarified that there has been no change in its position onKashmir, which should be handled bilaterally by India and Pakistan. The Indiangovernment also briefed the US and other permanent members of the UN SecurityCouncil on the reasons for the changes in Jammu and Kashmir.During a phoneconversation with Khan on Friday, Trump reiterated the “importance of India andPakistan reducing tensions through bilateral dialogue regarding the situationin Jammu and Kashmir”.
Khan, however, has kept up the shrill rhetoric andquestioned the safety of India’s nuclear arsenal in a tweet on Sunday. He saidthe world must “seriously consider the safety & security of India’s nucleararsenal” and said this was an issue that impacts the region and the world.
Modi also raised the situation in Afghanistan during hisconversation with Trump and called for protection of the gains made in thewar-torn country.
“Recalling that today marked the one hundred years of theindependence of Afghanistan, the Prime Minister reiterated India’s longstandingand unwavering commitment to work for (a) united, secure, democratic and trulyindependent Afghanistan,” the readout said.
With reports suggesting that the US and the Taliban areclose to a deal on the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan and acounter-terrorism guarantee that Afghan soil won’t be used by terror groups,New Delhi has been concerned about any hasty drawdown of troops that couldcreate a vacuum in the country.Modi recalled his meeting with Trump on themargins of the G-20 Summit in Osaka in June and “expressed the hope that thecommerce minister of India and the US Trade Representative would meet at anearly date to discuss bilateral trade prospects for mutual benefit”.
Differences on key trade issues, including market access,withdrawal of India’s benefits under the Generalised System of Preferences(GSP) system and retaliatory tariffs, e-commerce and data localisation, haveemerged as irritants in an otherwise robust bilateral relationship.The phoneconversation covered bilateral and regional matters and “was marked by thewarmth and cordiality which characterises the relations between the twoleaders”, the readout said. Modi said he appreciated remaining in regular touchwith Trump.
The brief White House statement on the conversation saidTrump discussed regional developments and the US-India strategic partnership.The two leaders also discussed how they will continue to strengthen bilateraleconomic ties through increased trade, and they said they looked forward to“meeting again soon”.
People familiar with developments said there is apossibility that Modi and Trump could meet on the margins of the G-7 Summit atBiarritz during August 25-26. They are scheduled to meet on the sidelines ofthe UN General Assembly next month.
