WASHINGTON: United States President Donald Trump on Friday expressed hope that Pakistan and India would “figure out” the rising tensions between them as both countries imposed tit-for-tat diplomatic measures over a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir.
The attack took place in Pahalgam, a tourist hotspot in India-occupied Kashmir that draws thousands of visitors every summer. Gunmen opened fire on visitors, killing at least 26 people — all men from across India except one from Nepal — and injuring 17 others.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said in response to a question about the situation that tensions between the nations had existed for “1,500 years, so you know, the same as it’s been”.
He added: “But, they’ll get it figured out, one way or the other, I’m sure of that. There’s been great tension between Pakistan and India, but there always has been.”
When asked if he would speak to either Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif or Narendra Modi, Trump replied, “I am very close to India and I’m very close to Pakistan as you know,” adding that the Kashmir dispute had been ongoing “for a thousand years, probably longer than that”.
