This is an embarrassment for the US with several Congressmen blasting Trump for his diplomatic gaffe.
US President Donald Trump's claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to mediate on the Kashmir issue has not only been strongly denied by New Delhi but also exposed by sources in the White House who say there is no record of the purported conversation over the issue.
On Monday, Trump claimed that Modi had asked him to mediate when the two leaders had met "two weeks ago". He was speaking to members of the press while Pakistani premier Imran Khan, on a visit to Washington DC, was also present.
"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," he stated.
Rebuttal came swiftly from New Delhi, with the foreign ministry stating no such conversation had ever taken place, that Kashmir is a bilateral issue, and interference from any other country is out of the question.
Sources in the White House revealed a day later that there were no official records to prove Trump's claim and that he and Modi did discuss the possibility of US mediation.
This is an embarrassment for the US with several Congressmen blasting Trump for his diplomatic gaffe.
"I just apologised to Indian Ambassador Harsh Shringla for Trump's amateurish and embarrassing mistake," Congressman Brad Sherman tweeted. "Everyone who knows anything about foreign policy in South Asia knows that #India consistently opposes third-party mediation re Kashmir. Everyone knows PM Modi would never suggest such a thing (sic)."
Other US lawmakers also tweeted that Kashmir is a bilateral issue.
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