Trump wants to hear Modi's plan on Kashmir at G7

Washington: US President Donald Trump is "ready to assist" India and Pakistan over the Kashmir issue if both sides ask for it, the White House said, even as Washington was "very closely" monitoring the situation.

Tensions between India and Pakistan spiked after New Delhi abrogated provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution to withdraw Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories on August 5.

"The United States is watching the situation in Kashmir very closely. We are continuing to call for calm and restraint, including on rhetoric," a senior administration official said ahead of the bilateral meeting between Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of G7 Summit in France over the weekend.

India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was an internal matter and also advised Pakistan to accept the reality.

According to the official, Trump is "very focused" on the situation in Kashmir because of the broader implications of the developments in Jammu and Kashmir and the potential for increased stability in the region.

"What he (Trump) has indicated that he is ready to assist if both sides are interested in helping to reduce their tension. But we just know that India has not requested any formal mediation, the official said requesting anonymity.

The official said that US President Trump, during his meeting with Modi in France will likely want to hear how he intends to calm regional tensions in the aftermath of his decisions on Kashmir.

"The US president will likely want to hear from Prime Minister Modi on how he plans to reduce regional tensions and uphold respect for human rights in Kashmir, as part of India's role as the world's largest democracy," he said.