Jehangir Khattak, New York
In the volatile presidency of the United States (US) the one ironic consistency is the unpredictable nature of President Donald Trump’s statements. He held a rally with Indian premier Narendera Modi in Texas, reiterating a joint fight against “radical Islamic terrorism”. A day later, he sat with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, and stated that his predecessors “have treated Pakistan very badly”, and offered to mediate the Kashmir dispute.
“Both India and US also understand that to keep our communities safe, we must protect our borders,” Trump told the gathering in Texas. Meanwhile, thousands of Pakistanis, Kashmiris, Sikhs and members of other communities, braving sizzling heat, staged a protest outside. Alluding to India’s concerns about alleged terrorist threats from Pakistan-based organizations in Kashmir, Trump said: “Today we honor all of the brave Indian and American military service members who work together to safeguard our freedom.” He added, “We stand proudly in defense of liberty, and we are committed to protecting innocent civilians from radical Islamic terrorism.”
Modi sounded defiant and belligerent. “Everything is okay in India,” he repeated the message in several regional languages of India, while referring to the situation in occupied Kashmir. “The people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have been deprived of equal rights. The forces fanning terrorism and separatism were exploiting this situation,” he said while justifying his illegal actions. “The Indian constitution which gave rights to other Indians will now give the same rights to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh,” he concluded.
Even though Trump delivered a scripted speech, his body language led many observers to speculate that the Trump may have endorsed Modi’s actions on Kashmir, and gave the impression that his assurances of mediation were just hot air.
Hitting out at Pakistan without naming it, Modi said some people had problems with the abrogation of Article 370. “These are the same people who could not govern their own country properly. These are the same people who shield terrorism and nurture it. The whole world knows them very well,” Modi said.
He threatened: “Time has come that the terrorists and those who support the terrorists are confronted in a decisive war. And I stress here that in this war, President Trump is firmly standing against the terrorists,” he told the audience which included Trump who stayed until the end of his speech.
This was offset hours later when Trump, during a meeting with Khan on the sidelines of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), politely rejected Modi belligerent language at the rally.
“I heard a very aggressive statement yesterday. I don’t have to say that. I was there. I didn’t know I was going to hear that statement, I had said. But I was sitting there and I heard a very aggressive statement yesterday from India, from the Prime Minister,” Trump told reporters.
This effectively put to rest the Indian propaganda that the US believed Kashmir was India’s internal matter. Instead, Trump repeated his mediation offer, calling Khan a “great leader” and someone he trusts. Trump repeated the mediation offer several times: “If both (Pakistan and India) want, I am ready, willing and able to do it.”
At least 24 members of the US Congress and a governor attended the event. Surprisingly, this included Sheila Jackson Lee (Rep.-D, Houston), the chairperson of Pakistan Caucus in the US Congress.
It is yet to be seen how President Trump balances his relatively compromised position in maintaining peace in South Asia. Will he succeed in convincing Modi to change his destructive course in Kashmir and force him to change his criminal behavior against defenseless, imprisoned eight million Kashmiris? Either way, the US may have lost some leverage over Pakistan in the process. It must also be said that there is nothing stopping Trump from upending his positive statements on Pakistan in his very next tweet.
