Why Shashi Tharoor finds Trump's Kashmir stance 'deeply disappointing'

Shashi Tharoor criticises Donald Trump's Kashmir remarks as 'deeply disappointing', listing four key reasons why they undermine India's diplomatic position and favour Pakistan

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has slammed US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks on the India-Pakistan situation, accusing him of undermining India’s national interest and aligning with narratives favourable to Pakistan.

 

Responding to Trump’s comments on the Kashmir issue, Tharoor called them “deeply disappointing for India” and warned they could reverse decades of diplomatic progress made by the country.

 

In a detailed statement on social media, Tharoor outlined four key objections to Trump’s remarks:

 

1. False equivalence

 

Tharoor said Trump implied a false equivalence between India and Pakistan, ignoring Pakistan’s well-documented links to cross-border terrorism.

 

“First, it implies a false equivalence between the victim and the perpetrator, and seemingly overlooks the US’ own past unwavering stance against Pakistan’s well-documented links to cross-border terrorism,” he wrote.

2. Granting legitimacy to Pakistan

 

Tharoor also said Trump, by offering a mediation framework, gave Pakistan a level of legitimacy that it has not earned.

 

“India will never negotiate with a terrorist gun pointed at its head,” he said.

 

3. Internationalising Kashmir

 

Tharoor warned that Trump’s offer to mediate could aid the agenda of terrorist groups trying to internationalise the Kashmir issue.

 

“India has never requested, nor is likely to seek, any foreign country’s mediation over its problems with Pakistan,” he posted on X.

 

4. Re-hyphenating India and Pakistan

 

Tharoor added that Trump’s remarks re-hyphenate India and Pakistan in global perception, reversing a diplomatic separation achieved since the Clinton era.

 

“For decades now, world leaders have been encouraged not to club their visits to India with visits to Pakistan, and starting with President Clinton in 2000, no US President has done so,” he said.

 

Tharoor’s comments came after President Trump, while addressing the media at the White House, reiterated that his administration had helped broker a ceasefire between India and Pakistan and claimed that trade leverage was used to prevent escalation between the two nuclear-armed countries.

 

Meanwhile, India has consistently maintained that Kashmir is a bilateral issue and has rejected any third-party mediation.