Hindus, Muslims don't get along: Donald Trump

New Delhi : US President Donald Trump once again offered to mediate the "explosive" situation in Jammu and Kashmir, a day after he spoke on the phone with PM Narendra Modi and Pakistan premier Imran Khan.

Amid mounting international concern over a flare-up in violence between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, Trump said he was happy to try and help calm the situation in Kashmir where tensions have spiked since India revoked autonomous rule on August 5.

"Kashmir is a very complicated place. You have Hindus and you have the Muslims and I wouldn't say they get along so great. I will do the best I can to mediate," he added. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also told Modi in a phone call that the Kashmir dispute must be resolved between India and Pakistan alone.

Trump has indicated that the US forces will not completely withdraw from warn-torn Afghanistan and America will have "somebody there" to make sure that Taliban does not regain control. During the presidential election campaign in 2016, Trump had pledged to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan and end America's longest war.

The Trump administration has intensified its efforts to seek a negotiated settlement of America's longest war in Afghanistan where the US has lost over 2,400 soldiers since late 2001, when it invaded the country after the 9/11 terror attacks. "We will always have intelligence, and we'll always have somebody there," Trump told reporters at his Oval Office on Tuesday.

He was responding to questions on the ongoing peace talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Trump said he would like to look at various alternatives. "One of the alternatives is going on right now. We're talking about a plan -- I don't know whether or not the plan is going to be acceptable to me. Maybe it's not going to be acceptable to them. But we are talking. We have good talks going, and we'll see what happens.

This is more than other Presidents have done," he said. "We have brought it down. We are bringing some of our troops back. But we have to have a presence," Trump said, ruling out a complete withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. He was asked, "Could we be back to where we were pre-9/11 with the Taliban in complete and total control of Afghanistan?" "Well, that's what we have to watch," Trump responded.

And if the Taliban were "really right" in what they're saying, they would stop that from happening, because they could stop that from happening very easily.

MoS status to mayors

In a significant development, the J&K government has decided to accord Minister of State status to its two mayors. Junaid Azim Mattu is currently mayor of Srinagar while Chander Mohan Gupta is mayor of Jammu.

With this status, both Mattu and Gupta will enjoy expanded power and will be able to take executive decisions. As mayors, their roles and responsibilities were restricted to their municipal jurisdiction.

Typically, a mayor is considered a ceremonial authority with limited power and state governments with all the resources continue to take most critical decisions.

Bajwa's extension hailed

China on Wednesday welcomed the extension of Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa's term for another three years, saying he is an "old friend" of the Chinese government who has made "robust" contributions to the bilateral relations.

General Bajwa, 58, who was appointed as the Chief of Army Staff by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in November 2016, was to retire in November, but Prime Minister Imran Khan extended his term for another three years in view of the "regional security environment".

The decision was taken amid fresh tension in India-Pakistan relations and the ongoing Afghan peace talks between the United States and the Taliban militants, facilitated by Islamabad.

Pak violates ceasefire

Pakistan on Wednesday again resorted to unprovoked mortar shelling in Jammu and Kashmir''s Rajouri district, triggering an immediate response from India. The ceasefire violation by Pakistan took place in Rajouri district''s Sundarbani sector at about 3.45 p.m., officials said.

Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing small arms and shelling with mortars in Sunderbani Sector. The Indian Army retaliated with equal force.

On Tuesday, Pakistan had fired small arms and fired mortars in the Krishna Ghati sector. Pakistan violated the ceasefire near the Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district on Monday too.

Army sources said an increase in shelling could be part of Pakistan''s efforts to sneak in militants into Jammu and Kashmir.

Kashmir issue at UNHRC

Pakistan plans to raise the Kashmir issue at the UN Human Rights Council, Foreign Office spokesperson Muhammad Faisal said on Wednesday. Briefing the Senate Committee on Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs, Faisal said that consultation was going on various options including to use the forum of the UN Human Rights Council. He said another platform available for Pakistan was to raise the issue in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's foreign ministers' meeting.