Trump stuck between Khan, Modi on Kashmir crackdown

Bloomberg

If Prime Minister Narendra Modi was worried about a frosty reception in the US after his crackdown on India’s Muslim-majority region of Kashmir, President Donald Trump was quick to put those fears to rest.
“Border security is vital to India,” Trump said alongside Modi, as the two spoke at a huge gathering of around 50,000 Indian-Americans. “We understand that.”
The high-level acknowledgment from the world’s most powerful political leader comes as Modi — who will address the United Nations General Assembly — continues an unprecedented security crackdown in the tense Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir. He abolished 70 years of regional autonomy and placed its citizens under widespread restrictions including an extended communications blackout. It also follows India’s push to strip millions of people — mostly Muslims — of their citizenship in the country’s northeastern state of Assam, near Bangladesh.
Trump’s comments, although not explicit approval, are symbolic of the quiet acceptance of India’s policies which have attracted little international criticism. India’s actions have been compared to what China is doing in its own restive mostly-Muslim border region of Xinjiang. But few countries other than Pakistan and China, which both have territorial claims in disputed Kashmir, have criticised New Delhi — a stark contrast to the 22 states that signed a letter criticising China’s crackdown against Muslim minority Uighurs, which has seen as many as 1 million citizens placed in “re-education camps.”
Nations want to keep Modi onside as they recognise India’s rising strategic importance in Asia as a counterweight to Beijing.
There’s also the size of its market, including billions in arms purchases, and the fact that criticising New Delhi risks aligning with Pakistan, which is widely accused of sponsoring terrorist groups in the region.
“There is little diplomatic upside to directly challenging India,” said Paul Staniland, an associate professor at the University of Chicago. “India is an important economic and strategic partner, or potential partner, for countries ranging from France to the US to the Gulf states. It’s also clear that the government of India won’t be rolling back its policy anytime soon, and many countries are leery of seeming to back the Pakistani line.”

‘Grave Concern’
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, whose government denies supporting extremists that strike inside India, told Trump on Monday there’s “a huge humanitarian crisis taking place” in the disputed region. He added the US has a responsibility to get involved.
“This crisis is going to get much bigger, what is happening in Kashmir,” Khan said. “The United States — it’s the most powerful country, it can affect the United Nations Security Council, it has a voice, so we look to the US to put out flames in the world.”
Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party has long campaigned on removing Kashmir’s special status, and moved swiftly to enact its plans following a sweeping election victory in May.