Trump's Kashmir proposal: Dangerous diplomacy in a sensitive South Asian dynamic

On May 10, US President Donald once again inserted himself into the India-Pakistan equation, this time in the wake of the latest ceasefire declared between the two nuclear neigh-bours.

- RAJ ARORA

Announcing through a social media post that the United States played a mediat-ing role, Trump also proclaimed his intention to “work with both nations on a Kashmir solution", a statement that echoed similar remarks made in February 2020. Then too, during the Trump-Imran Khan meeting at Davos, he had offered to mediate on Kashmir, drawing firm resistance from India.

Trump's latest offer may seem like an impromptu gesture of diplomacy. But for India, it rings alarm bells. It appears less of a benign intervention and more of a haz-ardous proposition - one that could have deep ramifications not only for Indian sover-eignty, but also for the broader balance of power in South Asia.

India has consistently rejected third-party mediation on Kashmir. For New Delhi, the matter is internal and bilateral, one to be dis-cussed, if at all, only with Islamabad. The 1972 Shimla Agreement and the 1999 Lahore Declaration reaffirm this position. Any hint of outside involvement, especially from a power like the United States, is viewed as an infringement on India's strategic autonomy and territorial integrity.

That Trump would revive the idea, despite knowing India's steadfast position, raises a critical question: What does Washington stand to gain from reigniting the Kashmir issue under the garb of peacemaking?