India is afraid of speaking against Trump's offer to mediate on Kashmir: Owaisi

Taking exception to US President Donald Trump offering to 'mediate' between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir issue, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday said by not responding to this proves that we are afraid of him and there is something wrong with our foreign policy.

"The US President has reiterated that he will mediate on Kashmir. Why he will mediate? Trump is saying it repeatedly and the Indian government is not responding. Who is running the foreign policy of India? Why are we so afraid of Trump that we are not reacting," Owaisi told reporters here.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have reacted to what Trump has said. He is defaming India in the whole world by saying that there is a Hindu-Muslim problem in India. I would like to ask the Prime Minister whether there is any Hindu-Muslim problem in our country," said Owaisi.

US President Trump on Tuesday once again offered his proposal to mediate on Kashmir, despite making it clear before that the ongoing dispute in the region should be resolved bilaterally by India and Pakistan.

Trump's remarks came in the backdrop of New Delhi's historic decision to change the constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir.

Calling Kashmir a "complicated situation," Trump said, "A lot has to do with religion. You have the Hindus, and you have the Muslims. This has been going on for decades."

Tensions have simmered between India and Pakistan following the BJP-led Central government's decision to revoke Article 370 that guaranteed special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Indian Parliament also passed a 'Reorganisation' bill that divided the region into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir with a legislature and Ladakh without a legislature.