The Kashmir issue

This is with reference to the statement of US Vice President Mike Pence that President Donald Trump, with his unparalleled negotiating skills, is prepared to play a pivotal role in the Kashmir issue. Speaking in NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ show, US Vice President Mike Pence has noted that the rising tension between India and Pakistan in recent times have exacerbated the Kashmir conflict, causing the thread between the two countries to become tense enough to break. Kashmir has been a troubled valley since the partition of the Subcontinent; post-independence from the British, the two neighbouring countries also fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir.

Pakistan has welcomed the US offer for mediation to resolve the Kashmir dispute. Ironically, India had been rejecting mediation on Kashmir by a third country because of its hegemonic designs in the region. India is perpetrating state terrorism on innocent civilians in Occupied Kashmir. It is a well-established fact that India is continuously trying to destabilise Pakistan through various tactics. Indian intelligence agent Kulbhushan Yadav’s confession about his involvement in subversive activities in Pakistan is a clear proof in this regard.

Afia Ambreen

Rawalpindi