Monitoring Desk:
In a rare comment on the escalating tensions between Pakistan and India, former U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed hope that both South Asian neighbors will manage the crisis on their own. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump responded to a question about the current situation by saying, “These two countries have had tension for 1,500 years — you know, it’s always been there. I think they’ll figure it out themselves.”
Trump’s remarks come in the wake of growing hostility between the two nuclear-armed nations following a deadly incident in Indian-occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam area on April 22, where 26 tourists were reportedly killed. Blaming Pakistan for the attack, India retaliated on April 23 by suspending the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty and ordering Pakistani nationals to leave within 48 hours.
Pakistan, in response, convened a high-level National Security Committee meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on April 24. The committee firmly rejected India’s unilateral move to suspend the treaty, declaring that “any attempt to block Pakistan’s water will be considered an act of war” and vowed a strong and immediate response to any aggression.
The NSC also labeled the Pahalgam incident a “false flag operation” by India and warned that such tactics threaten regional stability. Pakistan urged the international community to take serious notice of India’s provocative actions.
While Trump’s comments were brief, they mark the first public reaction from a former U.S. president on this latest flashpoint, potentially drawing international attention to the growing volatility in the region.
