New Delhi: Amid rising hostilities between India and Pakistan, US President Donald Trump expressed concern over the situation, saying he is willing to step in if needed. “If I can do anything to help I will be there,” he said, urging both nations to de-escalate and resolve their issues peacefully.
“Oh it’s so terrible. My position is I get along with both. I know both very well and I want to see them work it out. I want to see them stop and hopefully they can stop now. They have gone tit for tat so hopefully they can stop now. I know them both, we get along with both the countries very well.
“Good relationships with both and I want to see it stop. And If I can do anything to help I will be there,” Trump said while responding to a question about the ongoing conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
Earlier, he had expressed hope that tensions would ease soon. “It’s a shame,” Trump remarked. “We heard about it just as we were walking in the doors of the Oval (Office). I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past.” He further added, “They’ve been fighting for a long time. They’ve been fighting for many, many decades and centuries, actually, if you really think about it.”
When asked if he had any specific message for India and Pakistan, Trump said, “No, I just hope it ends very quickly.”
Tensions soared after India carried out ‘Operation Sindoor’ in the early hours of Wednesday, striking nine terror-related locations in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Punjab province. The operation was launched in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which left 26 people dead.
In response, Pakistan’s military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry stated that the missile strikes resulted in the deaths of 31 people and left 57 others wounded. He said the attacks, launched just after midnight, targeted cities in Punjab province and PoK, alongside heavy firing along the Line of Control.
