On his first visit to India next week, US President Donald Trump is expected to wade into several domestic controversies

On his first visit to India next week, US President Donald Trump is expected to wade into several domestic controversies, challenging his Indian counterpart on the state of religious freedom in the country, as well as Kashmir.
Trump will raise a number of “concerns” with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the trip, a White House official said on Friday, singling out the “religious freedom issue” as “extremely important” to the US administration.

“Prime Minister Modi in his first speech after winning the election last year, talked about how he would prioritize being inclusive of Indian religious minorities. And certainly the world looks to India to maintain religious liberty and equal treatment for all under the rule of law,” the official told reporters, making every effort to avoid offending the US ally.
With hostilities between New Delhi and Islamabad at a high point – much of it stemming from conflict over the disputed Kashmir territory – the president is also expected to urge detente for the nuclear-armed rivals. Following an attack by Pakistan-based militants that killed 40 Indian police officers in Kashmir last year and ongoing issues with terrorism in the region, New Delhi revoked Kashmir’s autonomy status, arguing the move was necessary to crack down on armed insurgents and develop the region. Pakistan has repeatedly slammed the decision, however, arguing the Indian government is oppressing citizens in its only Muslim-majority state.

“I think what you’ll hear from the President is very much encouraging a reduction in tensions between India and Pakistan, encouraging the two countries to engage in bilateral dialogue with each other to resolve their differences,” the official said, noting the process could only move forward if Islamabad ramped up its efforts against terrorism.