Trump remarks on PM Modi seeking mediation on Kashmir is utterly preposterous: US Congressman

The remarks by President Donald Trump that Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought mediation on Kashmir is "utterly preposterous," an influential American lawmaker said Tuesday.

Speaking on the floor of the US House of Representatives, Congressman Brad Sherman said it was not surprising that the Pakistan Prime Minister wants America to arbitrate or mediate as its stand has been the same for decades.

"It's not surprising that the Prime Minister of Pakistan wants America to arbitrate or mediate. That has been the position of Pakistan for decades, Sherman said.

"But then, the President says, you know, in Osaka last month, Prime Minister Modi asked the United States to arbitrate or mediate the Kashmir dispute. That is utterly preposterous," Sherman, who is the chairman of the House's Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, said.

A day earlier, Trump offered to be the "mediator" between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue as he met Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House.

Trump, who is known to make inaccurate statements, claimed that Prime Minister Modi asked him to mediate on Kashmir when they met in Osaka, Japan on the sidelines of the G20 Summit last month.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar refuted that Prime Minister Modi ever made that request