35 Congressmen ask Trump admin to encourage bilateral talks between India and Pakistan

A bipartisan group of 35 American lawmakers has urged Trump administration to encourage India and Pakistan for bilateral talks on Kashmir to reduce tensions between them. Encouraged by recent reports that the Indian government has started lifting restrictions in Kashmir, the lawmakers in a recent letter to Kelly Craft, the US Ambassador to the UN, expressed concern with the recent activity in the Kashmir region amid increasing tensions between India and Pakistan.

"Maintaining peace and stability in this region is a matter of global security," said the letter dated September 23. Among others the letter has been signed by Congressman Jim Banks, Greg Pence, Susan Wild, David Trone, Eric Swalwell, Gwen Moore, Judy Chu, Mike Levin and Ron Wright.

"As the United Nations begins its 74th session of the General Assembly, we encourage you to use the full weight of the United States Mission to the United Nations to encourage India and Pakistan to bilaterally mitigate tensions," Congressmen wrote in the letter. "Any assistance that the United States can offer to defuse tensions in the region and encourage bilateral discussions between the two countries is of the utmost importance to assuring the safety of Americans and preserving global order," the letter said.

Observing that last month the Indian government announced it would revise the legal status of the Jammu and Kashmir state, the lawmakers said historically, the Indian constitution has granted special autonomous status to the state.