Don't need third parties to mediate: Sources

New Delhi [India], Feb 28 (ANI): As US President Donald Trump said his country is trying to be involved to cool down the tense situation between India and Pakistan, sources here underlined that New Delhi does not require any third party to mediate.
They, however, said that three permanent members of the UN Security Council have moved a proposal in the world body for the listing of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist under the United Nations Sanctions Committee (UNSC) 1267.
The sources were apparently referring to the US, the UK and France which are pushing the proposal which is being stalled by China.
Earlier, Trump said in Hanoi, “It has been going on for a long time, decades and decades. There is a lot of dislike (between India and Pakistan), unfortunately. So we have been in the middle, trying to help them both out so that we can get some organisation and some peace, probably that is going to be happening."
Indian sources said they were not aware of what Trump was talking about.
They said India has channels on the other side and the US has been supportive of New Delhi's position.
Addressing the media after his Summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the US President said, “We have, I think, reasonably attractive news from Pakistan and India. We have been going at it. We have been involved and trying to help them stop."
Tensions increased between India and Pakistan after the Indian Air Force on Tuesday carried out aerial strikes at a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror training camp in Balakot, in which a large number of terrorists were killed. The strikes were in response to the February 14 terror attack in Pulwama, in which about 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives.
Jammu and Kashmir saw heightened military activity on Wednesday with Pakistani jets violating the Indian air space and dropping some bombs in Rajouri sector after which one of their fighters was shot down.
India said it foiled an attempt by Pakistan Air Force this morning to carry out strikes in Jammu and Kashmir by shooting down an F-16 fighter plane while losing its own MiG-21 jet after which a pilot was “missing in action”.
India has not asked for consular access but immediate unconditional release of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, asserting that there can be no deal on it unlike the Kandahar episode, sources said.
Abhinandan is in the custody of Pakistan Army after his MiG-21 aircraft went down yesterday in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) while chasing 20 fighter jets of Pakistan Air Force which transgressed 10 kilometres into Indian air space beyond the Line of Control (LoC), using laser bombs to target military installations in Jammu and Kashmir. (ANI)