Trump claims India and Pakistan conflict over Kashmir is '1500 years old'

In a statement on Friday, US President Donald Trump claimed that India and Pakistan have been "fighting for 1,500 years" over the Kashmir region.

The assertion has drawn widespread ridicule, given that Pakistan was established in 1947, making such a prolonged conflict historically impossible.

Trump's comments came amid heightened tensions following a terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Indian-ruled Kashmir, where 26 people, primarily Indian tourists, were killed.

The attack, claimed by The Resistance Front — a group reportedly linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba — has worsened already fraught relations between India and Pakistan.

The Republican president was asked if he would be talking to the leaders of both countries.

“I am very close to India and I’m very close to Pakistan, as you know. And they’ve had that fight for 1,000 years in Kashmir. Kashmir has been going on for 1,500 years, probably longer than that," he replied. 

In the wake of the violence, India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, revoked visas for Pakistani nationals, and closed major border crossings.

Overnight on Friday, troops from the two countries also exchanged fire across the line separating the parts of Kashmir they control, after the UN again urged the nuclear-armed rivals to show "maximum restraint" following the attack. 

The Kashmir conflict began in 1947 when the Hindu ruler of the territory, which has a Muslim majority, decided to accede to India after the end of British rule, without consulting the population.

This led to the first Indo-Pakistan war and the de facto partition of the territory.

Despite UN resolutions calling for a referendum to determine the region’s future, no such vote has ever taken place, and tensions have simmered — and at times exploded into war — ever since.

The recent violence has sparked renewed fears of a wider escalation.

Analysts have warned that the retaliatory measures taken by India, combined with Pakistan’s growing frustration at being blamed for attacks it denies supporting, could push both sides towards a dangerous cycle of retaliation.

As the situation in Kashmir remains tense, many are calling for renewed international efforts to address the root causes of the conflict — and for greater responsibility from global figures when speaking on such sensitive issues.

This is one of many diplomatically sensitive gaffes made by Trump during his political career. In 2017, he referred to the non-existent country of "Nambia" at a United Nations meeting with African leaders. In 2018, he appeared to confuse the Baltic states with the Balkans during a summit with leaders from Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.