Phone call made before UNSC held closed consultations

U.S. President Donald Trump asked Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to resolve the Kashmir issue with India bilaterally during a phone call on Friday.

The phone call took place before the UN Security Council held closed consultations on the fallout of India’s abrogation of Article 370 (special status for Jammu & Kashmir), according to a PTI report.

“Today, President Donald J. Trump spoke with Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan to discuss regional developments and to follow up on the Prime Minister’s successful visit to Washington, D.C., last month. The President conveyed the importance of India and Pakistan reducing tensions through bilateral dialogue regarding the situation in Jammu and Kashmir,” read a statement from Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley, released on Friday afternoon.

Last month, Mr. Trump started a diplomatic kerfuffle between India and the U.S. when he told reporters in the presence of Mr. Khan (who was visiting the White House) that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to mediate in the Kashmir dispute. This was strongly countered by India, which said no such request had been made.

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Friday’s call also discussed the strained U.S.-Pakistan relationship, which Mr. Khan’s July visit to Washington sought to reset.

The U.S. sees Pakistan as a crucial player in its attempt to reach a peace deal with the Taliban and pull out from Afghanistan.

“The two leaders further discussed how they will continue to build on the growing relationship between the United States and Pakistan and the momentum created during their recent meeting at the White House,” Mr. Gidley said.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Friday that Mr. Khan and Mr. Trump had discussed the situation in Kashmir and India’s actions, as well as the Afghanistan situation.

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India played down the significance of the informal closed consultations held by the UNSC, with India’s UN envoy Syed Akbaruddin saying the abrogation of Article 370 was entirely an internal matter of India. Mr. Akbaruddin noted that no statement had emerged from the consultation and that two countries [China and Pakistan] were passing off national statements for the position of the entire Security Council.

On Saturday, Mr. Khan took to Twitter to highlight the UNSC consultation. “I welcome the UNSC meeting to discuss the serious situation in Occupied Jammu & Kashmir. It is for the first time in over 50 yrs that the world’s highest diplomatic forum has taken up this issue. There are 11 UNSC resolutions reiterating the Kashmiris right to self determination,” he wrote. “And the UNSC meeting was a reaffirmation of these resolutions. Therefore, addressing the suffering of the Kashmiri people & ensuring resolution of the dispute is the responsibility of this world body.”