New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to US President Donald Trump for half-an-hour on Monday during which he said that “extreme rhetoric and incitement to anti-India violence by certain leaders in the region” — an obvious reference to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent utterances — “was not conducive to peace”.
This marks the first top-level exchange betw-een the two leaders since India bifurcated its state of Jammu and Kashmir and revoked Article 370. It may be recalled that Mr Khan has been engaging in a vitriolic propaganda offensive against India including a bizarre diatribe comparing India to Nazi Germany.
The phone call took place in the wake of a similar phone call last week when President Trump had spoken to Mr Khan and urged reduction of tensions through bilateral Indo-Pak talks.
The phone call between Mr Modi and Mr Trump on Monday is being seen as a possible US attempt to play an indirect role in reducing tensions betw-een the two neighbours.
