“Can’t be forced”: US based analyst reinstates India’s stance on external mediation Kashmir

ANI

Washington DC (USA), May 17, 2025 (ANI): On US offering to mediate on the Kashmir issue, Research Fellow & Director India Initiative at Hudson Institute, Aparna Pande said, "... India right from the beginning stated very clearly it has no desire to escalate. All India was doing was striking against the terror camps. It had no desire to go for a long-term war with Pakistan... All India wanted to do was send a message to the terror infrastructure and those who support those terror groups that India will respond if there is a terror attack... If a country like the United States, with which India has a strong strategic partnership, can convince Pakistan not to escalate... then India would be fine with that. The challenge is that India has a different view from the United States... India does not accept mediation. If India seeks to resume talks with Pakistan, it will be India offering talks to Pakistan... India would be fine with having a conversation with Pakistan, but not forced by an external mediator. India is saying they never wanted escalation...but any talks between Pakistan will be based on what India will put on the agenda. It will not be by some other country or organisation..."

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00:00India, right from the beginning, stated very clearly it has no desire to escalate.

00:07All India was doing was striking against the terror camps.

00:11It had no desire to go for a limited, medium-term or long-term war with Pakistan.

00:18That is not what the Indian state has said consistently.

00:22And this goes back decades, but even the last three times.

00:26So all India wanted to do was send a message to the terror infrastructure and those who support those terror groups,

00:34that India will respond if there is a terror attack inside India.

00:39So India had no desire to escalate.

00:42So if a country like the United States with whom India has a very good relationship, strong strategic partnership,

00:48is able to convince Pakistan not to escalate and not to strike back sort of, you know, against India,

00:57then India would be fine with that.

00:59The challenge where sort of the way, the part where India sort of, you know,

01:05does not sort of, you know, has a different view from the United States

01:10is that, as I mentioned earlier, India does not accept mediation.

01:15So if India wants, if India seeks to resume talks with Pakistan,

01:21it will be on India offering talks to Pakistan.

01:25That happened in the past.

01:26Right till 2015 was the last time, I believe, Prime Minister Modi met,

01:30then Prime Minister Nawaz Shari.

01:32So there have been talks between India and Pakistan.

01:35I believe in 2019 was maybe the last time the two countries actually had conversations.

01:40But India would be fine with having a conversation with Pakistan, but on India's terms,

01:45not on those, you know, sort of forced on India by an external mediator.

01:50So all India is saying is that we never want an escalation.

01:55The Pakistani side has called and wants a ceasefire.

01:59We are fine with that.

02:00But any talks between Pakistan will be based on what India will put on the agenda.

02:08It will not be some other country or organisation putting that on the agenda.

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