President Trump’s mediation offer brings Kashmir back to the global agenda

Muzaffarabad, (Parliament Times) : Former President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and senior diplomat, Sardar Masood Khan, has said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was right in saying, “blood and water cannot flow together”, because it is India that is shedding blood and blocking water. However, Masood Khan asserted, the time has come when India can neither spill blood nor stop the flow of water.
In an interview with a private Pakistani news channel, Sardar Masood Khan said if Prime Minister Modi is eager to hold talks on Azad Kashmir and terrorism, he is welcome to do so-but must recognize that Azad Kashmir is a liberated region, freed by its own people through struggle. As for terrorism, he stated that India must be held accountable for its involvement in destabilizing regions like Balochistan and for running terrorist networks across various parts of Pakistan.
Masood Khan emphasized that Modi’s recent statements have inadvertently validated Pakistan’s long-standing position that India is actively involved in terrorism within Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan, and that it must be held responsible on the global stage.
Referring to India’s missile strikes on Pakistani territory and the killing of innocent civilians, he said such actions gave Pakistan the right to respond by targeting those facilities inside India that are used to train and facilitate terrorist activities.
He dismissed any discussion about the status of Azad Kashmir, stating that the region is self-governed and free. In contrast, Occupied Jammu and Kashmir remains under India’s forcible and unlawful occupation, imposed against the will of the local population.
He pointed out that global pressure, including from within India and from the United States, is mounting against the Modi government for initiating a conflict that it could not win.
Masood Khan also highlighted that Western media outlets are questioning why India-despite possessing cutting-edge Western defense technologies, including Rafale fighter jets and Russia’s S-400 defense system-was unable to perform effectively during the conflict.
He noted that this failure has significantly weakened India’s image as a strategic military partner, particularly in the eyes of Washington.
Commenting on U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated offers to mediate on Kashmir, Khan stated that although this is not the first time the U.S. has extended such an offer (with similar proposals made in 2016 and 2019), the recent escalation between India and Pakistan has brought Kashmir back to the forefront of the international agenda. He added that Trump’s call for balanced trade with both India and Pakistan also signals a shift in global perception, placing both nations on equal footing and indirectly reinforcing the need for a resolution on Kashmir.
On the topic of the ceasefire, Masood Khan revealed that India itself had requested a ceasefire to avoid further devastation, as Pakistani forces had inflicted substantial military damage. Despite India’s high-tech arsenal, Pakistan effectively defended its territory using indigenously developed JF-17 Thunder jets and hypersonic missiles, he noted.
Masood Khan concluded that the recent military skirmish has exposed the limitations of India’s military capabilities, especially in the context of its aspirations to act as a frontline state against China-a narrative now facing increasing skepticism in Washington and other global capitals.
Commenting on Indian media’s war-driven propaganda, Khan said: “If we believe what Indian media is claiming, then Pakistan shouldn’t even exist on the world map.” He praised the Pakistani government, and media for their threefold success during the recent conflict: The achievements including defeating India militarily, despite its superior war equipment, demonstrating restraint and responsibility as a state, which the international community acknowledged, and countering Indian propaganda with facts and responsible journalism, exposing false narratives of India at home and abroad.