MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): Former President Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and senior diplomat, Sardar Masood Khan, has said that president Trump’s mediation offer on Kashmir has brought the issue back on the global agenda.
He said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was right in saying, “blood and water cannot flow together”, because it is India that is shedding blood and blocking water.
However, Masood Khan asserted, the time has come when India can neither spill blood nor stop the flow of water.
In an interview with a private news channel, Sardar Masood said if Prime Minister Modi is eager to hold talks on Azad Kashmir and terrorism, he is welcome to do so but he must recognize that Azad Kashmir is a liberated region, freed by its own people through struggle.
On terrorism, he stated that India must be held accountable for its involvement in destabilizing regions like Balochistan and for running terrorist networks across various parts of Pakistan.
He emphasized that Modi’s recent statements have inadvertently validated Pakistan’s long-standing position that India is actively involved in terrorism within Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan, and that it must be held responsible on the global stage.
Referring to India’s missile strikes on Pakistani territory and the killing of innocent civilians, he said such actions gave Pakistan the right to respond by targeting those facilities inside India that are used to train and facilitate terrorist activities.
He dismissed any discussion about the status of Azad Kashmir, stating that the region is self-governed and free.
Occupied Jammu and Kashmir
In contrast, Occupied Jammu and Kashmir remains under India’s forcible and unlawful occupation, imposed against the will of the local population.
He pointed out that global pressure, including from within India and from the United States, is mounting against the Modi government for initiating a conflict that it could not win.
Masood Khan also highlighted that Western media outlets are questioning why India despite possessing cutting-edge Western defence technologies, including Rafale fighter jets and Russia’s S-400 defense system was unable to perform effectively during the conflict.
He noted that this failure has significantly weakened India’s image as a strategic military partner, particularly in the eyes of Washington.
Commenting on US President Donald Trump’s repeated offers to mediate on Kashmir, Khan stated that although this is not the first time the US has extended such an offer (with similar proposals made in 2016 and 2019), the recent escalation between India and Pakistan has brought Kashmir back to the forefront of the international agenda.
He added that Trump’s call for balanced trade with both India and Pakistan also signals a shift in global perception, placing both nations on equal footing and indirectly reinforcing the need for a resolution on Kashmir.
On the topic of the ceasefire, Masood Khan revealed that India itself had requested a ceasefire to avoid further devastation, as Pakistani forces had inflicted substantial military damage.
