Trump again offers to play arbitrator's role in Kashmir dispute

US President Donald Trump has claimed that he prevented a potential nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan through a series of direct phone calls with both countries’ leaders, leveraging trade negotiations as a means of de-escalation.

“Eventually they were going to go nuclear… and I stopped it,” Trump said during a public appearance. “I called each leader, spoke to them, and talked about trade. I said, ‘You’re not trading with us if you go to war… if you start throwing nuclear weapons around.’”

According to Trump, the intervention worked. “They were both unbelievable. They understood exactly. They stopped. I stopped that war with phone calls and trade.”

He also noted that trade discussions were ongoing, stating, “India is negotiating a trade deal in Washington, and I think a Pakistani delegation is arriving next week.”

In response to a separate question, Trump said he had offered to mediate the long-standing dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. “We’re going to get them together,” he said. “They have a longtime rivalry over Kashmir. I told them, ‘I can solve anything. I will be your arbitrator.’”

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated following the deadly attack in Pahalgam, located in Indian-occupied Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 tourists. India blamed Pakistan for the incident without presenting evidence, while Islamabad categorically denied involvement and called for an impartial investigation. A brief four-day conflict followed, which ended with a US-brokered ceasefire on May 10.

In the wake of the conflict, Pakistan launched a diplomatic campaign in the United States aimed at presenting its version of events and countering India's growing influence in Washington. The Pakistani delegation has already visited London and is expected to travel to Brussels as part of this broader outreach effort.

The high-level delegation includes former foreign ministers Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Hina Rabbani Khar, and Khurram Dastgir; Senators Sherry Rehman, Musadik Malik, Faisal Subzwari, and Bushra Anjum Butt; along with senior diplomats Jalil Abbas Jilani and Tehmina Janjua.