Welcoming visiting prime minister Imran Khan to the White House recently, President Donald Trump had expressed his willingness to mediate on the question of Kashmir and looked forward to developing great relationship with Pakistan and working closely on Afghanistan peace.
To a question whether the United States would arbitrate on Kashmir, President Trump reportedly said, "I was with Prime Minister Modi two weeks ago and we talked about this subject and he actually said 'Would you like to be a mediator or arbitrator,' I said where, he said, Kashmir. Because this has been going on for many, many years... I think they would like to see it resolved and you (Imran Khan) would like to see it resolved. If I can help, I would love to be a mediator." The US President also indicated that India would also be willing to accept the US mediation on the longstanding dispute.
The question is whether there is a link between the expression of his desire to mediate and India's action of depriving the occupied Jammu and Kashmir of autonomy by scrapping Article 370 from India's constitution and bifurcating the disputed region into Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh . The US President is required to put his full weight behind the oppressed Kashmiris in order to prove that he 'doesn't make up things'. He must translate his remark that 'Kashmir is a beautiful world and it must remain so' into action. He must walk the talk.