India, May 15 -- Since the cessation of hostilities, multiple voices in the government have spoken about a new normal in the India-Pakistan dynamic. A key aspect of this is that the only point of contention in the bilateral ties that India is willing to discuss with Pakistan is the issue of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). On Tuesday, the ministry of external affairs spokesperson reiterated this when he was asked about US President Donald Trump's offer to mediate between India and Pakistan on resolving the Kashmir dispute, which, for some reason, Trump believes is "thousand years old". It calls for a restatement that the Kashmir dispute is a legacy of Western colonialism in the subcontinent. After Partition in 1947, Western powers tacitly backed Pakistan's claim over Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) based on the premise that it was a Muslim-majority kingdom, though it had acceded to India. They succeeded in convincing India to take the matter to the UN in 1948, following an invasion attempt by Pakistan. New Delhi, quickly recognising the trap, has refused international mediation since. The exception was in 1965 when the Soviet Union hosted the Indian PM and Pakistan's military dictator to sign the Tashkent Declaration. The 1972 Simla Agreement states all disputes would be resolved within the bilateral framework. There are two key points in India's stance on Kashmir. One, it does not see any scope for external mediation on J&K. Two, after Operation Sindoor, the "only outstanding matter is PoK". The fact is following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, J&K's status within India's federal framework has changed: Its special status has been revoked, and it is just like any other Indian state. For sure, Washington can use its good offices to convince Pakistan to look beyond Kashmir, dismantle its terror ecosystem, and buy peace with India. But it is best advised to avoid a Pakistan hyphenation, or a Kashmir reference, as it seeks to firm up its relationship with India....