Intervention in Kashmir is a poisoned fruit
Following the announcement of a ceasefire, India carefully worded statements to avoid any suggestion of outside intervention - even as Donald Trump took credit for the deal.
Saturday 10 May 2025 21:26, UK
Intervention in Kashmir is a poisoned fruit. 聽
President Trump was quick to take credit for the ceasefire, posting on Truth Social: "After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE."
Read more: India accuses Pakistan of breaking ceasefire deal
Although Pakistan thanked Donald Trump, India hasn't mentioned the US.
"I want to really extend my gratitude and say thank you to President Trump, who has played a very pivotal and paramount role in the ceasefire. And he is really very good to us," said Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif in a speech on Saturday evening.
In contrast, a very brief statement from India's foreign secretary Vikram Misri on Saturday said the director general of Pakistan's military called his Indian counterpart at 3.35pm.
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"They agreed that both sides will stop all firing and military action from land, air and sea from 5pm onwards. The DGMOs will talk again at noon on May 12," said the statement.
There was no mention of intervention.
A post on X by India's foreign minister Dr Jaishankar said: "India and Pakistan have today worked out an understanding on stoppage of firing and military action."
Each statement is carefully worded so there's no suggestion either party was pressurised, especially when it comes to the issue of Kashmir.
India is averse to third-party intervention and internationalisation of Kashmir.
The Queen's visit in 1997 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of India and Pakistan's independence was marred by comments made by then foreign secretary Robin Cook.
When he offered to mediate on Kashmir, New Delhi accused him of nursing "illusions of grandeur of its colonial past".
On his trip to India in 2010, all those accompanying David Cameron were unequivocally told to stay away from the word "Kashmir".
Read more:
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In a social media post in 2019, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called for resolving the situation in Kashmir through relevant UN resolutions, calling the situation "deeply disturbing".
The Indian government called his interventions, which continued at the Labour Party conference that year, "uninformed and unfounded".
"Clearly, this is an attempt at pandering to vote-bank interests. There is no question of engaging with the Labour Party or its representatives on this issue."
In a meeting with Labour Friends of India last year, Sir Keir Starmer affirmed Kashmir as an internal matter.
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He said: "Any constitutional issues in India are a matter for the Indian Parliament, and Kashmir is a bilateral issue for India and Pakistan to resolve peacefully."
Kashmir is sensitive and sacrosanct for India.
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Intervention in it is a poisoned fruit.