A deeper look into what US President Donald Trump said and did during his two-day visit to India may suggest that he did not mean what he said in public. For instance, he reiterated his offer to mediate on Kashmir. According to him, prime ministers Imran Khan and Narendra Modi "are my close friends". But in a 5000-word joint statement issued at the conclusion of his visit, there is no mention of Kashmir or his offer of mediation. "They [the United States and India] denounced use of terrorist proxies ... and called on Pakistan to ensure that no territory under its control is used to launch terrorists attacks, including 26/11 Mumbai and Pathankot," the joint statement said. On Afghanistan, they supported an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process, and "President Trump welcomed India's role in continuing to provide development and security assistance to help stabilise and provide connectivity." So it seems what President says off the cuff or through his tweets may not be the true reflection of the US government's policy or position. We think the US administration need to clarify its own take on Kashmir.
But the other issue President Trump was widely expected to take up with PM Modi is the plight of minorities in India, particularly since the enactment of anti-Muslim Citizenship Amendment Act. Unfortunately, however, he did not, although he was aware of the fact that there had been demonstrations throughout India against these laws by Muslims and other minorities for over a month - only to culminate as Trump stepped on the Indian soil. As he was meeting Narendra Modi in Delhi the capital city was under attack by RSS goons who set fire to houses, shops and vehicles belonging to Muslims with police playing the role of a silent spectator. According to reports, the death toll in Delhi anti-Muslim riots soared to 43 by Friday. The RSS goons burnt down a mosque before they hoisted their banner on its minaret. What for then the United States President was in India? He didn't have to do anything with Mahatma Gandhi's 'charkha' (spinning wheel). His visit along with his consort to the Monument to Love Taj Mahal was also what any visitor to India, would like to undertake. Insofar as the 'Namaste Welcome' at a newly-built stadium in Gujarat - the city where Modi had masterminded massacre of its Muslim residents and earned ban on his entry to the United States - is concerned, it was nothing but Modi's payback to Trump's presence at pro-Modi power-show at Houston last December. The real story however has been told in the joint statement. The expected trade agreement between the two countries was not signed as Trump's 'America First' drive collided with Modi's 'Made in India' mantra. President Trump had actually come to sell military hardware as part of Washington's strategic objective to let India emerge as China's rival in this part of the world. Not only did the United States offer to bolster India's military presence in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, it also agreed to sell advanced military equipment worth over 3 billion dollars. "The India-US relationship is one of the most significant partnerships of the 21st century. That is why I have decided to raise our relationship to the level of a comprehensive global partnership," Narendra Modi told reporters alongside Trump following their meeting.
President Trump wants to mediate between Pakistan and India on Kashmir. There is, however no easy answer to the question whether or not he can arrange a Modi-Imran meeting. But on the other hand, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi is optimistic. According to him, Trump wants peace and stability in the region. If so then what was the United States' contribution to Pakistan's Kashmir cause in the UN Security Council closed meetings. Even if President Trump says it has "very good relationship" with Pakistan, he cannot and will not annoy India by asking it why Muslims in India are being marginalised; nor is he ready to ask New Delhi to lift protracted curfew that it imposed on Occupied Jammu & Kashmir since the beginning of August 2019. Of course, the world is waking up to gross violation of human rights of Kashmiris, but so far all of it is in words and nothing in concrete. No wonder, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
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