New Delhi: Reaffirming India's long-standing position on Jammu and Kashmir, Foreign Affairs Expert Robinder Sachdev dismissed any scope for third-party involvement in the matter, including recent comments by former US President Donald Trump offering mediation.

Speaking to ANI, Sachdev stated unequivocally, “No third party has any role in our affairs.” He emphasized that while the United States remains a close strategic partner of India, any suggestion of external mediation on Kashmir is not welcome.

“He (President Trump) wants to be a peacemaker,” Sachdev noted, referencing Trump’s past and ongoing interest in brokering peace in global conflicts, including Ukraine and Gaza. However, he pointed out that these efforts have yet to yield concrete peace outcomes. “He's playing out with Ukraine, which still hasn’t reached a peace format—nor has Gaza,” he said.

Trump, in a recent post on his social media platform Truth Social, reiterated claims of the US role in facilitating peace and offered to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue. “I am proud that the USA was able to help you arrive at this historic and heroic decision... I will work with you both to see if, after a 'thousand years,' a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir,” Trump wrote.

India, however, has consistently rejected any third-party mediation on Kashmir, maintaining that the region is an internal matter and an integral part of the country.

Sachdev also highlighted the strong and evolving ties between India and the United States, expressing optimism about future cooperation on multiple strategic fronts.

Commenting on India's security stance, he lauded the country's calibrated response to provocations from Pakistan. “A clear message has gone out to the world and to Pakistan that India’s doctrine now is ‘tit for tat,’” he asserted. “We will keep hitting back unless there’s reform. We want peace, but we will not hesitate to retaliate if terror is thrust upon us.”

Meanwhile, Trump also welcomed the recent easing of tensions between India and Pakistan, alluding to the catastrophic potential of a conflict between two nuclear-armed nations. “Millions of people could have died if peace had not been worked out,” he remarked.