The dispute over Kashmir is 1,500 years old and leaders of both India and Pakistan will figure out "one way or the other" how to deescalate tensions in the volatile region, US President Donald Trump has said.
On Friday, Trump offered his first public reaction on the current crisis between the South Asian nuclear rivals, days after unidentified gunmen shot dead 26 people in India-administered Kashmir, igniting fresh tensions between the regional heavy weights that analysts say could lead to a major crisis in the area.
On Air Force One, Trump mentioned the historical conflict in the disputed border region and acknowledged knowing leaders — Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif — but didn't confirm if he'd contact them.
"I am close to India and Pakistan. They have had that fight for a 1000 years in Kashmir. Kashmir has been going on for a 1,000 years, probably longer than that.. Tensions on that border [Kashmir] has been for 1,500 years," Trump added.
"They'll get it figured out one way or the other," he said, adding, "There's great tension between Pakistan and India, but there always has been."
India’s move to suspend the decades-old treaty after a deadly attack on Kashmir raises fears of escalating tensions with Pakistan, but can New Delhi really turn off the taps?
'Act of war'
Ties between the two South Asian nations have deteriorated in the days following the deadly attack.
A statement issued in the name of Kashmir Resistance, a previously unknown rebel group, claimed responsibility for the attack on social media, reported by Indian news channels.
The group's claim remains unverified independently.
It said Indian authorities had settled over 85,000 "outsiders" in the disputed region and claimed that those targeted on Tuesday were not "ordinary tourists" but "were linked to and affiliated with Indian security agencies."
India, without providing any evidence, accused Pakistan of supporting the attack, closing the Attari-Wagah border, suspending the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty, revoking visas for Pakistani nationals, and expelling Pakistani military advisers.
Pakistan, denying involvement, warned that blocking water to its citizens would be deemed an "act of war."
Islamabad also implemented other countermeasures, including suspending trade, closing airspace to Indian flights, and expelling Indian diplomats.
The UN has urged restraint, but tensions remain high with no immediate deescalation.
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Pakistan has put in abeyance the 1972 Simla Agreement with India, according to which all disputes, including Kashmir, should be resolved bilaterally and peacefully.
India, Pakistan up ante
On Friday, India repeated its threat, saying New Delhi is working on measures to ensure "not even a drop" of water goes to Pakistan.
India's Water Resources Minister C.R. Paatil said: "We will ensure that not a single drop of the Indus river's water reaches Pakistan."
Also on Friday, Pakistan's Senate adopted a resolution rejecting India's accusation and vowing a tough response to any "provocation."
The Senate unanimously approved the resolution, introduced by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who categorically rejected India's unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, saying blocking or diverting Pakistan's share of waters would constitute an act of war.
"Pakistan is a nuclear and missile power, and if India tries to cast an evil eye, it will face a similar response as in the past," Dar said in a speech broadcast live on state-run Pakistan Television.
Relations plunge to their lowest level in years, with New Delhi accusing Pakistan of supporting "cross-border terrorism" after gunmen carried out the worst attack on civilians in Muslim-majority India-administered Kashmir for a quarter of a century.
