According to India's highest-ranking diplomat, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has informed US President Donald Trump that New Delhi will never accept third-party mediation with Pakistan on the Kashmir dispute. During a Tuesday phone call, Vikram Misri, the foreign secretary, said that Modi "strongly" conveyed to Trump India's long-held position. Since a four-day conflict in May between the nuclear-armed neighbors, Trump has offered to mediate between India and Pakistan to resolve the "Kashmir issue." India's statement has not prompted a response from the White House.
Mr Misri also said that Modi told Trump "clearly" that during the duration of the conflict, "no talks were held at any level on the India-America trade deal or on the mediation between India and Pakistan by America".
Trump has repeatedly claimed that India and Pakistan ended the conflict after a ceasefire brokered by the US and also that he used trade as a lever to make them agree. Pakistan has backed US claims of brokering the ceasefire but India has denied it.
"The talks regarding cessation of military action were held directly between India and Pakistan under the existing channels established between both militaries," Mr Misri said.
"I said, 'Come on, we're going to do a lot of trade with you guys [India and Pakistan]," Trump told reporters last month. Let's stop it. Let's stop it. If you stop it, we'll do a trade. We won't do any trading if you don't stop it.'" Delhi is rushing to negotiate a trade deal with the Trump administration before a 90-day pause on higher tariffs ends on 9 July.
Trump's mediation offer on Kashmir puts India in a tight spot
How Pakistan and India share one of the most dangerous borders in the world Both India and Pakistan, which claim Kashmir in its entirety but only administer a portion of it, disagree on the matter. Over the past several decades, bilateral talks have not resulted in a solution. India prohibits any negotiation, particularly with a third party, because it views Kashmir as an integral part of its territory. After India blamed Pakistan for the attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 that killed 26 people, primarily tourists, tensions between the neighbors in South Asia grew. Islamabad denied the charge.
In May, India carried out air strikes on what it called terrorist infrastructure inside Pakistan, leading to four days of intense military action from both sides of the border.
Airbases and other military facilities were allegedly the targets of both nations' attacks. As the conflict between the two nuclear-armed nations threatened to escalate further, Trump announced on 10 May that India and Pakistan had agreed to a "full and immediate ceasefire", brokered by the US.
"I will work with you both to see if, after a thousand years, a solution can be reached, concerning Kashmir," he wrote later in a post on Truth Social. (The Kashmir issue only dates back to 1947).
A statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio the same day said that the two countries had also agreed "to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site".
On 11 May, Trump repeated praise for India and Pakistan's leaders for understanding it was "time to stop the current aggression", adding that he was proud the US "was able to help you arrive at this historic and heroic decision".
After Trump's statement on the ceasefire, Pakistan's foreign minister said the agreement had been reached by the two countries, adding that "three dozen countries" were involved in the diplomacy.
India has, however, consistently denied any intervention by the US.
Analysts say Trump's very public statements on offers of mediation over Kashmir have tested Delhi's red lines on the issue.
Delhi has always encouraged its Western partners not to treat India and Pakistan as equals. It also discourages western leaders from undertaking visits to India and Pakistan at the same time.
But Trump's tweets often hold India and Pakistan as equals. This has caused some discomfort in Delhi's diplomatic circles but analysts believe it's too early to say whether this will affect ongoing trade deal talks between Washington and Delhi.
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