- Kashmir is a direct issue between India and Pakistan, says US State Department official
- The US maintains a policy of non-intervention in India-Pakistan Kashmir dispute
- President Trump claimed to help broker ceasefire between India and Pakistan
A senior US State Department official has said that Kashmir is a "direct issue" between India and Pakistan and the US has no interest in "asserting" itself between the two countries on the affair.
In a press briefing, the official maintained that, US will continue its "long-standing policy that this is a direct issue between India and Pakistan". He added that US President Donald Trump has "enough crises on his hands" but would be ready to help if he is asked.
"We will leave that up to India and Pakistan to solve," the official added.
He underlined that the US will focus on an America First policy when dealing with India and Pakistan. "We continue to see India and Pakistan in two sort of separate ways, seeing them on their own in the relationship, looking at an America First policy that advances our interest," the official said.
However, reiterating Trump's claims that he stopped the conflict between India and Pakistan, during his address at the United Nations General Assembly, the State Department official said, "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.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed. The Indian Armed Forces targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the death of over 100 terrorists.
Since May 10, Trump has repeatedly claimed that he "helped settle" the tensions between India and Pakistan by telling the two neighbours that America will do a "lot of trade" with them if they stop the conflict.
India has denied the claims, maintaining that the ceasefire was achieved through talks between the Indian and Pakistani militaries and not US mediation.
