Trump mediation offer not on table anymore: Indian envoy

New York : US President Donald Trump has "made it clear" that his offer to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir dispute is "not on the table anymore", India's Ambassador to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla has said.

Speaking on Fox News Special Report, Shringla said on Monday: "President Trump has made it very clear that his offer to mediate on Jammu and Kashmir is dependent on both India and Pakistan accepting it.

Since India has not accepted the offer of mediation, President Trump has made it clear that this is not on the table anymore. That has been the US' long-standing policy."

During Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's visit to Washington, Trump had made the startling claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to mediate on Kashmir.

New Delhi quickly denied that any such request had been made, saying it was against its long-standing policy and that the agreements between India and Pakistan should be settled bilaterally.

Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Alice G. Wells, later tweeted a clarification, saying: "While Kashmir is a bilateral issue for both parties to discuss, the Trump administration welcomes #Pakistan and #India sitting down and the US stands ready to assist."

After India scaled back Kashmir's special status under constitutional provisions of Articles 370 and 35A, State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said that it was an "internal matter" of India.