A Pakistani delegation will be travelling to Washington for bilateral discussions shortly, the US State Department affirmed on Tuesday. But it has not said whether the Kashmir conflict would be on the agenda. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce confirmed the planned gathering but gave no hint of the agenda.
This follows after US President Donald Trump insisted on taking credit time and again for bringing about a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. India has strongly refuted any American role in the truce and rebuffed speculation of American mediation. Silence on Kashmir raises new questions about Washington’s stakes in South Asian geopolitics, even as diplomatic outreach to Islamabad seems to intensify.
Delegation Visit Confirmed, But Agenda Unclear
While addressing a press conference on July 22, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce mentioned that she would attend the upcoming bilateral meeting with the Pakistani delegation. She only confirmed the visit and didn’t mention if topics such as Kashmir would be there. A journalist inquired if Trump’s previous offer of mediating Kashmir or controversies such as the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) would be included in the talks. Bruce was evasive.
The bilateral is preceded by a rare one-on-one lunch that US President Donald Trump recently hosted for Pakistan’s military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir. The invitation itself was a significant shift in US-Pakistan relations.
Trump’s Ceasefire and Trade Claims
Since May 10, Trump has consistently asserted that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire following an evening of US-brokered talks. Trump also stated he assured both nations of greater trade if they cooled tensions. Trump mentioned these advances while alluding to his previous bid to mediate on the Kashmir conflict.
But India has fiercely refuted any such US involvement. The ceasefire pact, according to New Delhi officials, came out of direct negotiations between India’s and Pakistan’s operations commanders.
India Says No to Mediation
India has always spurned any outside mediation on Kashmir. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who was in Kananaskis, Canada, said that there was no discussion regarding a US-brokered trade agreement or peace talks with Pakistan. This follows after a Modi-Trump bilateral meeting did not take place at the G7 Summit. Trump departed early, but the two leaders talked on the phone for 35 minutes.
Misri reiterated that Prime Minister Modi made it very clear to Trump that India would not tolerate foreign mediation. The deal, he added, was a pure bilateral one.
What’s Next in Washington?
The Washington bilateral on the cards is likely to address regional and strategic issues. But nobody knows if Kashmir will be raised. Though the US continues to signal agreement to facilitate talks, India maintains that all choices regarding Pakistan will have to be bilateral.
As the Pakistani team gets ready to negotiate, Washington’s silence and Trump’s assertions fuel suspense. New Delhi waits for the moment, for the time being.
