President Trump urged Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday to work with India in settling tensions in the Kashmir region, which is steeped in fear and upheaval after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi moved to strip it of its autonomous status.
“The president conveyed the importance of India and Pakistan reducing tensions through bilateral dialogue regarding the situation in Jammu and Kashmir,” White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said.
The White House said Mr. Trump spoke to Mr. Khan as a follow-up to their July 22 meeting.
At the time, Mr. Trump said Mr. Modi asked him to help negotiate the decades-old dispute between Pakistan and India over Kashmir. India swiftly said it asked no such thing, pointing to its long-standing policy that any talks should be bilateral.
Mr. Trump on Friday urged the two nations to speak to each other.
Kashmir is a Muslim-majority region in India. Residents have complained of security forces patrolling the streets, making them fearful to leave their homes, and say communication systems have been shut down or limited.
Critics say Mr. Modi, by revoking Kashmir’s special “Article 370” status, is taking his vision of a unified, Hindu-dominated nation too far at the expense of Muslims.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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