Trump says would ''certainly intervene'' on Kashmir if India, Pak want him to
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he would "certainly intervene" between India and Pakistan on Kashmir if they wanted him to, days after he stunned New Delhi with his claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him to mediate on the vexed issue.
Trump on Thursday said it was up to India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue but he was ready to assist if the two South Asian neighbours wanted him to help in resolving the issue.
He was referring to his last month's meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House, wherein he stunned India by saying that Modi, during their bilateral meeting on the the sidelines of G-20 Summit in Japan, sought his mediation on the Kashmir issue.
However, India rejected the offer, while Pakistan welcomed his statement.
When asked how would he "want to resolve the Kashmir issue", Trump said, "If I can, if they wanted me to, I would certainly intervene."
"It's really up to Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi (to accept the offer of mediation)," Trump told reporters responding to a question on India not accepting his offer of mediation on Kashmir.
"Have they accepted the offer or not?", Trump sought a clarification when asked about India's rejection of his mediation offer.
"I think they are fantastic people - Khan and Modi -- I mean. I would imagine they could get along very well, but if they wanted somebody to intervene, to help them . and I spoke with Pakistan about that and I spoke frankly in (sic) India about it," Trump said.
He rued that the issue of Kashmir had been going on for a long time.
"That's been going on, that battle, for a long time," he said.
Last week, in his joint media appearance with Pakistan Prime Minister Khan in his Oval Office, Trump stunned India by saying that Prime Minister Modi sought his mediation/arbitration on the Kashmir issue.
Trump said the Indian Prime Minister asked for this during their bilateral meeting in Japan in June on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit. India quickly denied it and said the Kashmir issue was never discussed between Modi and Trump.
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar refuted that Modi ever made that request.
"We heard remarks by President Donald Trump in a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan, to the press that he is ready to mediate, if requested by India and Pakistan, on Kashmir issue," he said in a statement to the Indian Parliament.
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India harbouring big and bold dreams in space sector: Shubhanshu Shukla
Kolkata (PTI): Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to go to the International Space Station, on Wednesday said the country is harbouring “big and bold dreams”, foraying into human spaceflight after a hiatus of 41 years.
Shukla was the first Indian to visit the International Space Station as part of the Axiom-4 mission. He returned to India from the US on August 17, 2025, after the 18-day mission.
The space is a “great place to be”, marked by deep peace and an “amazing view” that becomes more captivating with time, he said, interacting with schoolchildren at an event organised by the Indian Centre for Space Physics here.
“The longer you stay, the more you enjoy it,” Shukla said, adding on a lighter note that he “actually kind of did not want to come back”.
Shukla said the hands-on experience in space was very different from what he had learnt during training.
He said the future of India’s space science was “very bright”, with the country harbouring “very big and bold dreams”.
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Shukla described his ISS flight, undertaken with support from the US, as a crucial “stepping stone” towards realising India’s ‘Vision Gaganyaan’.
“The experience gained is a national asset. It is already being used by internal committees and design teams to ensure ongoing missions are on the right track,” he said.
Shukla said the country’s space ambitions include the Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, the Bharatiya Station (India’s own space station), and eventually a human landing on the Moon.
While the Moon mission is targeted for 2040, he said these projects are already in the pipeline, and the field will evolve at a “very rapid pace” over the next 10-20 years.
He told the students that though these targets are challenging, they are “achievable by people like you”, urging them to take ownership of India’s aspirations.
The sector will generate “a lot of employment opportunities” as India expands its human spaceflight capabilities, he noted.
Echoing the iconic words of India’s first astronaut Rakesh Sharma, Shukla said that from orbit, “India is still the best in the world”.
Shukla also asserted that the achievement was not his alone, but that of the entire country.
“The youth of India are extremely talented. They must stay focused, remain curious and work hard. It is their responsibility to help build a developed India by 2047,” he said.
Highlighting a shift from Sharma’s era, Shukla said India is now developing a full-fledged astronaut ecosystem.
With Gaganyaan and future missions, children in India will be able to not only dream of becoming astronauts, but also achieving it within the country, he said.
“Space missions help a village kid believe he can go to space someday. When you send one person to space, you lift million hopes. That is why such programmes must continue... The sky is not the limit,” Shukla said.
“Scientists must prepare for systems that will last 20-30 years, while ensuring they can integrate technologies that will emerge a decade from now,” he said.
Shukla added that he looked forward to more space missions, and was keen to undertake a space walk, which will require him to "train for another two years".
