Trump‘s Claims โof Mediation โinโค India-Pakistan Ceasefire Contradicted by Official Accounts
Former โPresident Donald Trump has repeatedly โasserted credit for โa recent cessation ofโข hostilities between India and Pakistan, claiming his intervention – specifically, the threat of trade repercussions – averted a potential nuclear conflict. โฃHowever, official statements from both India and โฃPakistan, along with subsequent clarifications, directly contradictโค Trump’s narrative.
The situation unfolded on May 10th when Trump announced on Truth Social a โค”Full and immediate ceasefire” mediated by the United States. โHe congratulated both countries onโฃ demonstrating โ”Common sense andโ Great Intelligence.” This proclamation preceded any official โฃconfirmation from India or Pakistan.
India swiftly clarified โฃthatโฃ the initiative for a ceasefireโข originated with Pakistan. โAccording to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, the Director-General โofโ Military Operations (DGMO) of Pakistan contactedโ the DGMO of India atโ 3:35 pm, requesting โa halt to all firing and military action acrossโ land, air, and sea, effective 5โ pmโข that day. Misri emphasized that the agreement was โฃreached directly between the two countries, with no third-party mediation.Externalโ Affairs Minister S jaishankar further stated the two nations โคhad “worked out an understanding onโข stoppage ofโค firing and military โฃaction.”
india has consistentlyโข maintained its positionโค that any dialog with Pakistan will be limitedโค to the issue of terrorism and focus on the resolution of the Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) dispute. Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated โthis stance in a national address โขon May 11th,reaffirmingโ India’s long-standing policy.
Trump’s claims โof โฃleveraging trade to achieve peace were also disputed. โOn May โ31st, โขhe told reporters he was “most proud” of stopping a “potentially a nuclear warโข through โtrade as opposed throughโข bullets.” However, official accountsโ indicate the ceasefire was aโ resultโ of directโฃ communication andโค understanding between theโค DGMOs ofโ India and Pakistan.
This isn’tโ the first instance ofโข Trump making unsubstantiated claims regarding India-Pakistan relations.During hisโ previous term, he asserted that India had requested โhisโ mediation on the Kashmir issue, a claim vehemently denied โฃbyโ India. Primeโ Minister Modi directly addressed this during aโฃ meetingโข with Trumpโค at โthe โG7 Summit in Biarritz, France, in August 2019.
The recent period of heightened tension stemmed from aโค Pakistan-backed terrorist attack in Pahalgam,Jammu and Kashmir,which resulted in 26 fatalities. India โขresponded with โฃOperation Sindoor, targeting terror camps within Pakistan and PoK, reportedly eliminatingโค over 100 terrorists. Pakistanโฃ retaliated with strikes on โIndian border cities, prompting a strong response โฃfrom India. While anโฃ understanding to halt firing was reached after โfour days of exchanges, โIndia clarified it was not a formal ceasefire.
India has historically adhered โฃto a bilateral approach to resolving disputesโข with Pakistan, as established by the 1971 Simla Agreement. The โคavailable evidence strongly suggests thatโฃ the recentโ cessation of โhostilities was aโ direct result of communication between India โคandโ Pakistan, andโ not due to any mediation or โฃintervention by the United States, despiteโค Trump’s repeatedโ assertions.