Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan, US President Donald Trump said that if he can help in any way, he is ready and wants the conflict to stop immediately.
Responding to questions from reporters at the White House, Trump said,
"It's very sad. My position is - I'm very involved with both countries. I know both countries very well. I want them to come to an agreement with each other and this conflict to stop. They are retaliating against each other, I want it to stop now. If I can help in any way, I will definitely be there."
He added, "We got this news just before we entered the Oval Office. Many people probably guessed that something was going to happen. India and Pakistan have been fighting for a long time - not decades, for centuries."
Trump said, "I don't have a specific message, I just want it to end very quickly."
The response comes at a time when India, through "Operation Sindh", launched missile strikes on nine terror launch pads in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Punjab province under the cover of darkness. The retaliatory action came in response to a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, in which 26 people were killed.
Pakistan Army spokesman Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said at least 31 people were killed and 57 injured in the Indian attack. The missile strikes hit several towns in Pakistan's Punjab province and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and there was also exchange of fire along the Line of Control (LoC).
