‘Pakistan and India Have Been Fighting Over Kashmir for ‘1,000 Years,’ Says Trump

US President Donald Trump said that Pakistan and India have been “fighting over Kashmir for 1,000 years” during his remarks about the recent conflict between the two nations.

The tension between the nuclear-armed neighbors intensified following a deadly gun attack in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) region of Pahalgam, which resulted in the deaths of at least 27 tourists. This attack has brought relations between the two countries to their lowest point in almost two decades.

Trump made this factually incorrect statement while speaking to the press aboard Air Force One. He remarked, “The Kashmir issue has been going on for a thousand years, maybe even longer, and this is a bad situation.” However, the Kashmir conflict originated after the 1947 partition of the Indian subcontinent, but none of the reporters on the plane pointed out this error.

When asked if he was worried about the growing border tensions between India and Pakistan, Trump said, “There’s been tension on that border for 1,500 years, but they will figure out the solution one way or another.” He also expressed, “India and Pakistan will figure out relations between themselves.”

Trump acknowledged that he knew the leaders of both countries but avoided responding to a question about whether he would contact them. He added, “There’s great tension between Pakistan and India, but there always has been.”

As the situation worsens, the United Nations (UN) has called on both nations to exercise “maximum restraint” due to the risk of potential war. In response to the attack, India took several diplomatic measures, including suspending a water-sharing treaty, closing the main land border crossing with Pakistan, downgrading diplomatic ties, and revoking visas for Pakistanis. Pakistan retaliated by expelling Indian diplomats, canceling visas for Indian nationals, except Sikh pilgrims, and closing its side of the border. Pakistan also warned that any attempt by India to stop the flow of water from the Indus River would be seen as an “act of war.”

The Kashmir region has been divided between India and Pakistan since the subcontinent’s partition in 1947. India has yet to honor its commitment to hold a UN-mandated plebiscite, and insurgencies in IIOJK have been ongoing since 1989, with rebel groups demanding independence.

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