US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan following the deadly Pahalgam terror attacks said that the two nations will resolve the situation between themselves “one way or the other”.
Speaking aboard Air Force One en route to Rome, Donald Trump downplayed the escalation and referred to the historical nature of the dispute, describing the attack as “a bad one”.
“I am very close to India and I’m very close to Pakistan, as you know. And they’ve had that fight for 1,000 years in Kashmir,” he told reporters. “Kashmir has been going on for 1,000 years, probably longer than that. And it was a bad one yesterday, though, that was a bad one. Over 30 people.”
The terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22 killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in what has been the worst attack in the Valley since Pulwama in 2019. Indian authorities have attributed the attack to The Resistance Front (TRF), believed to be a proxy of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
When asked if he planned to intervene, Trump said, “There have been tensions on that border for 1,500 years. So, you know, the same as it’s been, but they’ll get it figured out one way or the other. I’m sure… I know both leaders. There is great tension between Pakistan and India. But there always has been.”
India responded to the attack by suspending the Indus Waters Treaty, withdrawing visas issued to Pakistani nationals, closing the Attari Integrated Check Post, and scaling down diplomatic presence in Islamabad. Pakistan, denying any involvement, dismissed New Delhi’s claims as “frivolous” and warned it would respond to any Indian move.
Meanwhile, officials on both sides confirmed an overnight exchange of fire along the Line of Control.
