ABU DHABI/NEW DELHI – India and the United Arab Emirates have reached a deal to normalise the situation in South Asia, with New Delhi agreeing to suspend its controversial plans to annex further parts of Kashmir across the Line of Control. The proposed deal would mean the UAE recognising the current Indian occupation of Kashmir, in exchange for peace in South Asia.
In a surprise statement by US President Donald Trump, who helped broker it, the countries called the accord “historic” and a breakthrough toward peace in South Asia.
President Trump called the deal between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan ‘a truly historic moment’.
“Now that the ice has been broken I expect more Arab and Muslim countries will follow the United Arab Emirates and recognise the Indian occupation of Kashmir,” he told reporters in the Oval Office, adding there would be a signing ceremony at the White House in the coming weeks.
Earlier, in response to a President Trump’s tweeted announcement, Modi wrote in Sanskrit: “Historic day.”
