<p>United States President Donald Trump said that India and Pakistan were two countries with nuclear weapons in their arsenals and they should diffuse the tension that escalated between them in the wake of New Delhi's recent decisions on Jammu and Kashmir.</p>.<p>Trump told a news conference in New York that he had held meetings with both Narendra Modi and Imran Khan, Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan. “You look at the two gentlemen heading those two countries — two good friends of mine — I said, 'Fellas, work it out. Just work it out',” he said, adding: “Those are two nuclear countries. They’ve got to work it out.”</p>.<p>The US President had meetings with Prime Ministers of Pakistan and India at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York on Monday and Tuesday respectively. He nudged both the leaders to hold talks to iron out differences and reiterated that he was willing to play the role of a mediator or arbitrator between India and Pakistan to settle the row over Kashmir if both the nations wanted him to do so.</p>.<p>The Bharatiya Janata Party, which leads the government in New Delhi, has been claiming that the September 26, 2016 “surgical strike” by Indian Army on a terrorist transit facility in territory under control of Pakistan and the bombing by Indian Air Force on a terrorist training facility at Balakot deep inside Pakistan on February 26 this year called the “nuclear bluff” of Pakistan.</p>.<p>While campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections in April and May this year, Prime Minister, himself, had said that Pakistan had long been flaunting its nuclear arsenal and threatening to use the weapons in case of any conflict with India. But New Delhi called the “nuclear bluff” of Islamabad with strikes by Indian Army and the Indian Air Force across the Line of Control (LoC), which were carried out in response to the export of terror from Pakistan to India.</p>.<p>The bonhomie between Prime Minister and the US President was on full display when the two leaders attended the “Howdy! Modi” conclave of over 50000 Indian-Americans in Houston last Sunday. Trump and Modi also met in New York again on Tuesday – the third meeting between the two leaders since Prime Minister won the mandate for a second term in the top office in New Delhi. Yet the US President did not appear to be convinced by New Delhi's claim of calling the “nuclear bluff” of Islamabad.</p>.<p>He, however, appeared to be more convinced by Khan's argument that the US and the rest of the international community should help diffuse tension between India and Pakistan expeditiously, as both the South Asian neighbours had nuclear weapons.</p>.<p>“With respect to Pakistan and India, we talked about Kashmir. And whatever help I can be, I said — I offered, whether it’s arbitration or mediation, or whatever it has to be, I’ll do whatever I can,” Trump said at the news conference in New York. “Because they’re at very serious odds right now, and hopefully that’ll get better.”</p>
<p>United States President Donald Trump said that India and Pakistan were two countries with nuclear weapons in their arsenals and they should diffuse the tension that escalated between them in the wake of New Delhi's recent decisions on Jammu and Kashmir.</p>.<p>Trump told a news conference in New York that he had held meetings with both Narendra Modi and Imran Khan, Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan. “You look at the two gentlemen heading those two countries — two good friends of mine — I said, 'Fellas, work it out. Just work it out',” he said, adding: “Those are two nuclear countries. They’ve got to work it out.”</p>.<p>The US President had meetings with Prime Ministers of Pakistan and India at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York on Monday and Tuesday respectively. He nudged both the leaders to hold talks to iron out differences and reiterated that he was willing to play the role of a mediator or arbitrator between India and Pakistan to settle the row over Kashmir if both the nations wanted him to do so.</p>.<p>The Bharatiya Janata Party, which leads the government in New Delhi, has been claiming that the September 26, 2016 “surgical strike” by Indian Army on a terrorist transit facility in territory under control of Pakistan and the bombing by Indian Air Force on a terrorist training facility at Balakot deep inside Pakistan on February 26 this year called the “nuclear bluff” of Pakistan.</p>.<p>While campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections in April and May this year, Prime Minister, himself, had said that Pakistan had long been flaunting its nuclear arsenal and threatening to use the weapons in case of any conflict with India. But New Delhi called the “nuclear bluff” of Islamabad with strikes by Indian Army and the Indian Air Force across the Line of Control (LoC), which were carried out in response to the export of terror from Pakistan to India.</p>.<p>The bonhomie between Prime Minister and the US President was on full display when the two leaders attended the “Howdy! Modi” conclave of over 50000 Indian-Americans in Houston last Sunday. Trump and Modi also met in New York again on Tuesday – the third meeting between the two leaders since Prime Minister won the mandate for a second term in the top office in New Delhi. Yet the US President did not appear to be convinced by New Delhi's claim of calling the “nuclear bluff” of Islamabad.</p>.<p>He, however, appeared to be more convinced by Khan's argument that the US and the rest of the international community should help diffuse tension between India and Pakistan expeditiously, as both the South Asian neighbours had nuclear weapons.</p>.<p>“With respect to Pakistan and India, we talked about Kashmir. And whatever help I can be, I said — I offered, whether it’s arbitration or mediation, or whatever it has to be, I’ll do whatever I can,” Trump said at the news conference in New York. “Because they’re at very serious odds right now, and hopefully that’ll get better.”</p>
