As US President Donald Trump’s claims of PM Modi asking him to mediate in the Kashmir dispute triggered a slew of reactions from various quarters, it is about time to reflect on a number of occasions in the recent past when he has taken a similar approach towards issues which involve India.
Here is a lowdown on some instances where the US President has attempted to pre-empt the Modi government’s moves on contentious issues:
Hafiz Saeed’s Arrest
Soon after the Pakistan authorities arrested Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) Chief Hafiz Saeed, the US President tweeted saying that over the last two years, ‘great pressure was exerted’ to find him.
His comment elicited a rather cold response from India, who said that Saeed had been arrested multiple times earlier, only to be released later.
However, much like in case of the Kashmir comment, Trump had to face widespread rebuke for his tweet. In fact, the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee criticised Trump for his tweet. The Democratic party-majority, in a tweet, told Trump that Saeed was living freely and Pakistan had not been searching for him for ten years.
Post-Balakot Tensions
At the height of the tensions between India and Pakistan, following the Balakot strike, Trump had spoken about receiving "reasonably attractive news" from the two countries.
“We have, I think, reasonably attractive news from Pakistan and India. We have been going at it and we have been involved in trying to have them stop and we have some reasonably decent news, hopefully that will be coming to an end,” he had said.
The comment came on the very day that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan made the announcement about releasing Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. Moreover, Trump gave the statement in an unrelated setting, on the sidelines of his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Harley Davidson Import Tariff
Another occasion where Trump attempted to demonstrate his clout over New Delhi’s policy-making was when, last month, he referred directly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of import tariffs.
Trump said that even though India has reduced its import tariff on American motorcycles from 100 percent to 50 percent, it is still too high and not acceptable to him.
"So, when Harley sends over there, they have 100 percent tax. When they (India) send in – they make a tremendous number of motorcycles – when they send them in, no tax. I called him. I said it's unacceptable,” Trump said, referring to his conversation with Prime Minister Modi.
“He (Modi) reduced it by 50 percent with one phone call. I said it’s still unacceptable because it’s 50 percent versus nothing. It’s still unacceptable. And they’re working on it,” he said, indicating that the two countries were still in talks to resolve the issue of import tariffs on American motorcycles.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)