India-Pakistan tensions: Donald Trump’s Kashmir mediation offer puts India in a tight spot

Third-party intervention has long been illegal in the American foreign government, especially in the long-running conflict with Pakistan over Kashmir.

So, those in the know are never surprised that US President Donald Trump, renowned for his unconventional politics, has touched a nerve in Delhi.

After four uncomfortable days of intense cross-border fighting, he announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and quick ceasefire” that the US had sponsored on Saturday.

Eventually, he stated in another article,” I may work with you both to see if, after a thousand years, a solution can be found regarding Kashmir.”

The Kashmir conflict dates back to 1947, when India was split up to create Pakistan after gaining independence from British law. Both neighbors have full ownership of the Kashmir place, but they only have a portion of it administered.

Over the years, there have been several rounds of diplomatic discussions that have failed to produce a solution. India exclus any negotiations, especially through a third party, because it considers Kashmir to be a fundamental part of its territory.

In the wake of last month’s attack on travellers in Indian-administered Kashmir, which left 26 people dead, generally travelers, in Pakistan, India carried out air strikes on what it called criminal system.

Islamabad refutes India’s claim that Pakistan was involved in the incident.

Trump’s involvement came at a time when fighting between the two nuclear-armed rivals was about to start to escalate into a full-fledged discord.

The two sides claimed to be attacking each other’s military installations, primarily in the frontier regions, with fighter jets, weapons, and drones.

President Trump’s provide has put Delhi in a position while US intermediaries, along with political backchannels, prevented a bigger blaze.

” It would not be welcomed by the American part, of course. Former American foreign minister Shyam Saran tells the BBC,” It goes against our stated status for many years.”

Delhi’s status on Kashmir has deteriorated, particularly since it withdrew Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in 2019, causing widespread protests there.

Many Indians are offended by President Trump’s subsequent remarks because they believe they are an attempt to “internationalize” the Kashmir dispute.

The primary opposition Congress party demanded an all-party conference and a government description of the “ceasefire disclosures made from Washington DC first.”

Have we allowed for third-party counseling? The Indian National Congress has a question about whether India and Pakistan’s political channels are being restored, according to Congress party official Jairam Ramesh.

In a statement announcing the peace, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio added that the two nations had also agreed to “enter discussions on a broad set of problems at a natural page.” The Indians have been caught off guard by this.

Delhi, which is accused of supporting what it calls cross-border violence, has resisted engaging in dialogue with Islamabad.

India has previously opposed third-party counseling, citing a 1972 peace treaty between the two nations. According to the leaders of the nation’s leaders, they “resolved to settle their differences by relaxing means through intergovernmental conversations.”

American officials claim that Pakistan’s strong martial launched operations undermining those agreements even when they have reached an agreement with a civilian government there. They attribute the I war to 1999, when a group of militants supported by Pakistan seized proper areas in Indian-administered Kashmir, sparking a new conflict between the two nations.

The fight broke out months after the then-Indian and Pakistani prime ministers agreed to handle issues through diplomatic discussions and refrain from interfering with one another’s internal affairs.

President Trump’s request to adjudicate has not been officially accepted by the American government.

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the country’s foreign secretary, continued,” India has regularly maintained a firm and unwavering position against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It may continue to do that.

It is being perceived as an indicator that India might not be returning to direct bilateral discussions immediately.

The perspective from Pakistan is unique.

Imtiaz Gul, the executive producer of the Islamabad Center for Research and Security Studies, tells the BBC that” Pakistan has often requested third-party intervention in the Kashmir problem in the lack of mutual trust between the two places.”

A power is then willing to play catch-up. According to Mr. Gul, Pakistan may consider this to be a spiritual victory.

The global community should intervene, according to Pakistani corporate experts, Syed Muhammad Ali, to prevent any further discord because of India’s unwavering opposition to India.

” The global community has one of the most pressing problems,” said Shah. The new upheaval shows that the sabre-rattling can get out of hand, according to Mr. Ali.

India’s forceful politics, especially since Modi took over in 2014, has been viewed as a sign of its self-assurance as a growing global economic strength.

To fend off Trump’s advances, it will need to take off a difficult balancing work, though.

In recent years, the US has fought off an extremely forceful China by courting India. Along with the US, Australia, and Japan, India is a significant member of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue group ( Quad ), which was established to combat Chinese expansionism in the Indo-Pacific.

Delhi, which wants to modernize its 1.4 million-strong defense, which heavily relies on Russian weapons, has also purchased current transport planes, helicopters, and other military equipment in recent years.

Prior to the American administration, they had no idea how sensitive India was to the Kashmir problem and mostly avoided getting involved. However, there is a question level over whether that place also holds with Trump.

With bilateral trade amounted to about$ 130 billion ( £ 98 billion ) in 2024, the US is India’s largest trading partner. To prevent tariffs, Modi’s administration is now negotiating with Washington.

Delhi will have to make a long range. It will be opposed to accepting Trump’s request to mediate, or to see the US-brokered peace, or “understanding,” as it is known, going beyond the present military tensions. However, it is also interested in developing a favorable buying connection with the US.

Any attempt to expand the talks, which will be met with fierce opposition at the regional level, a trap Modi is also aware of, such as the currently pending bilateral treaty on the status of Kashmir.