No Kashmir mention in US statement on Trump-Imran meeting: Did opposition jump the gun again & help Pakistan?

Pakistan was left with egg on its face once more on Monday evening as the official United States statement on Pak PM Imran Khan's meeting with US President Donald Trump made no mention of mediation over Kashmir, even as the Pakistan government touted it as a huge development in the region, and various political parties in India jumped with readiness at the very first mention. In the statement issued by the White House, there is no mention of Kashmir, mediation, or even India. Rather, there are a series of damning statements about Pakistan on the topic of peace and stability in the region, including a demand that Pakistan shut down terrorist groups operating on its territory. Here is the full statement: President Donald J. Trump Wants to Work With Pakistan to Achieve Peace, Stability, and Economic Prosperity in the Region WORKING TOWARD PEACE, STABILITY, AND PROSPERITY: President Donald J. Trump is working to strengthen cooperation with Pakistan on issues that are vital to the peace, stability, and prosperity of the South Asia region. Today, President Trump is welcoming Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan to the White House. President Trump and Prime Minister Khan will discuss a range of issues, including counterterrorism, defense, energy, and trade. The United States is committed to creating the conditions necessary for a peaceful South Asia. President Trump wants to build stronger economic and trade ties with Pakistan, which would benefit both of our countries, as we make progress on core United States security concerns. CHARTING A PATH TO PEACE AND STABILITY: President Trump has made clear that he wants to see peace and stability in the region. The President acknowledges the initial steps Pakistan has taken to improve regional security and counter terrorism. Pakistan has made efforts to facilitate the Afghanistan peace talks, and we are going to ask them to do more. The path to a strong and enduring partnership between Pakistan and the United States lies in working together to find a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Afghanistan. Pakistan has taken some steps against terrorist groups operating within Pakistan. It is vital that Pakistan take action to shut down all groups once and for all. BUILDING ECONOMIC PROSPERITY: The United States and Pakistan enjoy a strong economic partnership that benefits both of countries. The United States and Pakistan set a new record for bilateral trade in 2018 of $6.6 billion. United States exports to Pakistan reached a record high of $2.8 billion in 2018, supporting approximately 10,000 American jobs. The United States is the largest export market for Pakistan’s goods. Our trade relationship with Pakistan has been especially beneficial for American farmers. The United States exported $1.4 billion in agricultural products to Pakistan in 2018. Over the past 15 years, the United States has been one of the top five investors in Pakistan. American energy producers are seeing more and more business opportunities with Pakistan. American companies are incorporating cutting-edge technologies into energy projects throughout Pakistan. American companies have competed to win more than $3 billion in energy-related business in Pakistan. Pakistan has purchased extensive amounts of American liquefied natural gas (LNG), including 22.8 billion cubic feet of LNG from March 2017 to April 2019. ExxonMobil reestablished its presence in Pakistan in 2018 after 27 years and is working to increase LNG imports. Top government sources have said to Republic TV that the Ministry of External Affairs is likely to issue a statement to address the mediation claim, which also allegedly came with a statement by Donald Trump that India had sought his intervention - impossible seeing as India has always objected to a third-party intervention in Kashmir, which even the United Nations has upheld on multiple occasions despite Pakistan's efforts. READ | "Trump is talking out of his hat," says Omar Abdullah over the US President's claim that PM Modi asked him to mediate Kashmir dispute Some political parties immediately welcomed the mediation claim: The PDP was among the first: Welcome such a positive development laden with potential to establish permanent peace in the subcontinent. Dialogue and Diplomacy not warmongering the only means which can deliver some respite to the people of subcontinent engulfed in raging fires of hatred. https://t.co/EXpBiqiwLI — J&K PDP (@jkpdp) July 22, 2019 The CPI(M) also jumped the gun: What does this say about our long-held position of sovereignty over the Indian state of J&K, as defined in the Simla Agreement? Will our twitter-friendly PM have the courage to rebut the US President who has made a public statement? https://t.co/uO1YpxGkeg — Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) July 22, 2019 India has always maintained its a bilateral issue, with no scope for third-party interference. What is this government upto? #JammuAndKashmir https://t.co/Ra0X8GvLLi — Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) July 22, 2019 The Congress offered two views on Trump's lie that he had been asked by PM Modi to intercede: India has never accepted third party mediation in Jammu & Kashmir! To ask a foreign power to mediate in J&K by PM Modi is a sacrilegious betrayal of country’s interests. Let PM answer to the Nation!https://t.co/17wRVtRSMD — Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) July 22, 2019 I honestly don't think Trump has the slightest idea of what he's talking about. He has either not been briefed or not understood what Modi was saying or what India's position is on 3rd-party mediation. That said, MEA should clarify that Delhi has never sought his intercession. https://t.co/DxRpNu6vw2 — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) July 22, 2019 The meeting between Trump and Imran Khan also came after the Pakistan Prime Minister was given a remarkably tepid response in the US, not being greeted by any US official when he landed, and even suffering the ignominy of having to be accompanied and chaperoned by Pakistan's Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa to the meeting.

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No Kashmir mention in US statement on Trump-Imran meeting: Did opposition jump the gun again & help Pakistan?

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