'Pakistan must be taught a lesson, not bailed out by US': Christine Fair backs Trump's Kashmir stance
The fallout from the terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir — which killed 26 people, mostly tourists — has continued to escalate tensions between India and Pakistan.
- Apr 27, 2025,
- Updated Apr 27, 2025 9:37 AM IST
American author and South Asia expert Christine Fair has supported US President Donald Trump's stance that India and Pakistan should resolve the Kashmir issue themselves, arguing that Pakistan must be taught a lesson by India without US interference.
Reacting to Trump’s remarks, Fair wrote on X, "That's the right message to send even if by accident. Why should the US bailout Pakistan by trying to restrain India? Pakistan has to be taught a lesson...by India."
Fair's comment came in response to Pakistani journalist Murtaza Solangi, who had shared Trump's reaction, saying, "The President of once the sole superpower reveals his knowledge of history and his empathy for both India and Pakistan. The message is Loud and Clear: Go figure out yourselves. Don’t bother us."
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump downplayed the Kashmir dispute, suggesting it had been ongoing for centuries. "I am very close to India, and I'm very close to Pakistan, and they've had that fight for a thousand years in Kashmir," Trump said. "There have been tensions on that border for 1,500 years. It's been the same, but I am sure they'll figure it out one way or the other," he added.
Meanwhile, the fallout from the terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir — which killed 26 people, mostly tourists — has continued to escalate tensions between India and Pakistan. Hitting out at Pakistan, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the neighboring country would be "brought to its knees" so that it "never thinks of resorting to such a despicable act again."
"I think they have miscalculated this time. They have dialed the wrong number because the leadership we have now is led by the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi). The statement the PM made from Bihar was that — enough is enough and now they will face the consequences," Puri said at an event in Mohali.
Former US diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad also weighed in on Pakistan's track record. Referring to Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif's recent admission that Pakistan’s support for extremist groups had been a mistake, Khalilzad wrote, "Sadly, there are credible reports pointing to the existence of significant and dangerous terror groups in Pakistan."
He noted that ISIS (Islamic State of Khorasan Province, ISKP) maintains camps inside Pakistan. "There are reports that in mid-March, Baluch nationalist fighters attacked an ISIS training camp in the mountains of the Mastung district close to Bolan River in Baluchistan. Allegedly, some 30 ISIS fighters, including citizens of Turkiye, India, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, were killed, and the camp was destroyed," Khalilzad said.
He warned that the Pakistani military could not be unaware of these camps if it was truly committed to eliminating terrorism. "By now, everyone should have learned that playing with terrorism for tactical purposes is a disastrous ploy that inevitably backfires very, very badly," Khalilzad added.
American author and South Asia expert Christine Fair has supported US President Donald Trump's stance that India and Pakistan should resolve the Kashmir issue themselves, arguing that Pakistan must be taught a lesson by India without US interference.
Reacting to Trump’s remarks, Fair wrote on X, "That's the right message to send even if by accident. Why should the US bailout Pakistan by trying to restrain India? Pakistan has to be taught a lesson...by India."
Fair's comment came in response to Pakistani journalist Murtaza Solangi, who had shared Trump's reaction, saying, "The President of once the sole superpower reveals his knowledge of history and his empathy for both India and Pakistan. The message is Loud and Clear: Go figure out yourselves. Don’t bother us."
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump downplayed the Kashmir dispute, suggesting it had been ongoing for centuries. "I am very close to India, and I'm very close to Pakistan, and they've had that fight for a thousand years in Kashmir," Trump said. "There have been tensions on that border for 1,500 years. It's been the same, but I am sure they'll figure it out one way or the other," he added.
Meanwhile, the fallout from the terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir — which killed 26 people, mostly tourists — has continued to escalate tensions between India and Pakistan. Hitting out at Pakistan, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the neighboring country would be "brought to its knees" so that it "never thinks of resorting to such a despicable act again."
"I think they have miscalculated this time. They have dialed the wrong number because the leadership we have now is led by the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi). The statement the PM made from Bihar was that — enough is enough and now they will face the consequences," Puri said at an event in Mohali.
Former US diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad also weighed in on Pakistan's track record. Referring to Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif's recent admission that Pakistan’s support for extremist groups had been a mistake, Khalilzad wrote, "Sadly, there are credible reports pointing to the existence of significant and dangerous terror groups in Pakistan."
He noted that ISIS (Islamic State of Khorasan Province, ISKP) maintains camps inside Pakistan. "There are reports that in mid-March, Baluch nationalist fighters attacked an ISIS training camp in the mountains of the Mastung district close to Bolan River in Baluchistan. Allegedly, some 30 ISIS fighters, including citizens of Turkiye, India, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, were killed, and the camp was destroyed," Khalilzad said.
He warned that the Pakistani military could not be unaware of these camps if it was truly committed to eliminating terrorism. "By now, everyone should have learned that playing with terrorism for tactical purposes is a disastrous ploy that inevitably backfires very, very badly," Khalilzad added.