Stating that India and Pakistan are at very serious odds, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday once again offered to help with “arbitration or mediation” in the Kashmir issue.

Donald Trump said he had discussed Kashmir with the leaders of both India and Pakistan and also urged them to “just work it out”.

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Trump, addressing reporters in New York on Wednesday, said he has had “very productive conversations” with leaders of India and Pakistan on the margins of the UN General Assembly.

“With respect to Pakistan and India, we talked about Kashmir. Whatever help I can be, I said, I offered, whether it’s arbitration or mediation or whatever it has to be.”

He added he will “do whatever he can because they are at very serious odds right now and hopefully that will get better”.

“You look at the two gentlemen heading those two countries, two good friends of mine. I said, fellows work it out, just work it out. Those are two nuclear countries, gotta work it out.”

Trump met Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a bilateral meeting Tuesday on the sidelines of the UNGA for 40 minutes, and a day earlier he met Pakistan PM Imran Khan.

He had also shared the stage with Modi at the Howdy Modi event in Houston on Sunday.

Ahead of his bilateral with Modi, Trump had said that Modi is perfectly capable of handling Pakistan-sponsored terror, and urged both sides to sit down and talk.

A readout of the meeting between Trump and Modi also said that the US president had “encouraged” Modi to improve relations with Islamabad and also “fulfil his promises” to better the lives of the Kashmiri people.

Trump and Modi’s meeting was their fourth since Modi came to power for a second term in May this year.

On Tuesday, while speaking to mediapersons ahead of their bilateral talks, Trump said that Modi would “take care” of the issue of Pakistan-sponsored terror and that Modi had given the message on terrorism to Islamabad “loud and clear” from the ‘Howdy, Modi!’ stage, that was shared by the US President in Houston on Sunday.

When asked what message he had for Pakistan on being actively involved in training militants, Trump said: “Well, I mean, the message is not for me to give, it’s for Prime Minister Modi to give.

“And I think he gave that loud and clear the other day when we were together (in Houston for ‘Howdy, Modi!’). He gave a pretty loud message. And I’m sure he’ll be able to handle that situation.”

Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale had told reporters after the Modi-Trump meeting that the prime minister “made it clear that we are not shying away from talks with Pakistan”.

“But for that to happen, we expect some concrete steps to be taken by Pakistan. And we do not find any effort by Pakistan taking those steps,” Gokhale had said.

He had also said that Modi explained in detail to Trump the challenges faced by India because of terrorism, especially in Jammu and Kashmir, where 42,000 lives have been lost in the last 30 years due to the menace.

Pakistan has been trying to internationalise the Kashmir issue after India withdrew the special status of J&K on August 5 but New Delhi has asserted the abrogation of Article 370 was its “internal matter”.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has written to the UN Secretary General and President of the UN Security Council, making his country’s legal case on the Kashmir issue. Qureshi, in his letter to UN chief Antonio Guterres and UNSC President Vasily Nebenzya, said the Indian action aimed at bringing about a “demographic change” in Kashmir.

India is pulling out all the stops to counter the Pakistani narrative on Jammu and Kashmir at the UNGA meeting on 27 September.

Both Modi and Khan are scheduled to address the UN General Assembly tomorrow. With Khan declaring his resolve to highlight Kashmir in his speech, India is gearing up to rebut him point by point.

After its failure at the United Nations Human Rights Council session in Geneva, Pakistan is now attempting to target India at UNGA.

(With agency inputs)