India responds to Trump about Kashmir, says its a bilateral issue

US President Donald Trump offered to "help" resolve the Kashmir issue on Tuesday on the sidelines of World Economic Forum being held in Davos. India on Wednesday reiterated its stand on Kashmir following the remarks.

A ministry of External Affairs official said, "Kashmir a bilateral issue and will have to be solved bilaterally. For any conversation to take place, Pakistan will have to shun terror first. We will discuss the situation in Kashmir. We can meditate on the issue. We are working with Pakistan on some borders and we were talking about Kashmir in relation to what is going on between Pakistan and India. If we can help, we certainly will be helping. We have been watching that and following it very very closely," he said.

Prime Minister Imran Khan also raised the issue of Kashmir, highlighting the tense situation in the state of Jammu and Kashmir since August 5, reiterating his demand to Donald Trump and the international community to intervene.

"Of course India, it is a big issue for us and Pakistan as a sovereign nation. And we always hope that the US would play its part in solving it. Because no other country can," he said. Pakistan has now become an important strategic partner and that is not lost on the military establishment in Rawalpindi.

In July 2019, Trump said "If I can help, I would love to be a mediator," in response to Khan's appeal to use his good offices.

On August 1, he reiterated after India's response saying, "If they wanted somebody to intervene or to help them."

The State Department has repeatedly been mentioning that Kashmir is a bilateral issue to be resolved between India and Pakistan. However, Trump has continued to mention the issue much to the consternation of New Delhi.