Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Monday sharply criticized former US President Donald Trump for offering to mediate on the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan, questioning his authority to intervene in what he called a strictly bilateral matter.
“Who made President Trump the ‘Sarpanch’? Did we appoint him Chaudhary?” Raut asked during a press conference in Mumbai. He stressed that the Indian Armed Forces are fully capable of defending the nation, even if the political leadership appears weak. Referring to the Simla Agreement, he reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir is an internal issue between India and Pakistan, and “no third party has any right to interfere.”
Raut’s comments came in response to a post by Trump on Truth Social, where the former US President claimed that American efforts helped prevent a major conflict between the two South Asian nations. Trump praised the leadership of India and Pakistan for stopping the escalation, suggesting that millions of lives were at stake due to the threat of nuclear conflict.
“I am very proud of the strong and unwaveringly powerful leadership of India and Pakistan… Millions of good and innocent people could have died,” Trump stated. He also offered to mediate a solution for Kashmir and promised to boost trade with both countries.
India has consistently rejected any form of third-party mediation in the Kashmir dispute, maintaining that the matter is an internal issue and part of India’s sovereign territory. The Ministry of External Affairs has repeatedly underscored that the Simla Agreement governs bilateral relations between India and Pakistan, leaving no room for outside intervention.
