ISLAMABAD: The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has termed US President Donald Trump’s offer of mediation over the Kashmir conflict a “huge diplomatic success” of Pakistan and Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The newly appointed central information secretary of the PTI, Ahmed Jawad, in a statement here on Tuesday said the world was ready “to believe and respect what Imran Khan says”.

“I would call it first victory of gaining global credibility, which has come from low credibility of Pakistan in the past,” the PTI information secretary said.

Addressing a joint news conference with PM Khan at the White House Oval Office on Monday, the US president had expressed his willingness to mediate between India and Pakistan to resolve the 70-year-old Kashmir dispute if both the neighbouring countries asked him for it.

“If I can help, I would love to be a mediator. If I can do anything to help, let me know,” said Mr Trump when a Pakistani journalist asked him if he would like to mediate between India and Pakistan on Kashmir.

Mr Jawad said never a US president and a Pakistani prime minister had such a long discussion on the Kashmir issue in an open press conference. He went on to add that the biggest achievement of PM Khan in the US trip was official acceptance of the Kashmir issue and even offering mediation by the US.

Mr Jawad particularly mentioned the US president’s remarks that “such a beautiful valley of Kashmir cannot be allowed to be littered with bombs” and termed it a huge “diplomatic success” of Pakistan.

He said the 15-year old stance of Mr Khan for peaceful resolution of Afghanistan was finally duly endorsed by the US and they considered Pakistan’s role most vital in the world with regard to Afghanistan.

He claimed that Mr Khan’s stance that the resolution of the Afghan issue lied in peaceful negotiation involving Taliban had finally been accepted at the Oval Office.

Referring to the US president’s comments over press freedom, Mr Jawad said President Trump did not accept any observations regarding restrictions of media in Pakistan and called his own media even worse.

Furthermore, he said the US president almost endo­rsed every view of Mr Khan and supported his campaign against corruption. He added that PM Khan was emerging as one of the most respected and favourite Pakistani leader in the world.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party’s information secretary Dr Nafisa Shah issued a hard-hitting statement against Mr Khan over his remarks during an interaction with a US think tank, stating that “Imran Khan should be awarded Goebbels Award for the lies he told with confidence”.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2019