- Pakistan, India “well represented” in talks, says Donald Trump.
- “I spoke to talented people on both sides,” remarks US president.
- Recalls threatening that there’ll be no deal if conflict continued.
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has once again highlighted his role in de-escalating the recent Pakistan-India armed conflict while commending Islamabad’s leadership, The News reported on Friday.
Speaking at a White House event alongside the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump recounted how Pakistan-India tensions were “getting close to being out of hand,” and said he intervened by speaking directly to leaders on both sides.
Noting that both sides were “well represented” in talks, he said: “The leader of India, a big guy, was here a few weeks ago and we had great talks — and Pakistan, likewise”. President Trump further added: “They have very strong leadership. Some people may not like me saying that, but it is what it is.”
The military confrontation between Pakistan and India — which included cross-border strikes by both countries — came weeks after 26 tourists were killed in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s (IIOJK) Pahalgam and India falsely blamed Pakistan for the attack.
After the incident, India killed several innocent civilians in unprovoked attacks on Pakistan for three days before the Pakistan Armed Forces retaliated in defence with the successful Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos.
Pakistan downed six IAF fighter jets, including three Rafale, and dozens of drones. After at least 87 hours, the war between the two nuclear-armed nations ended on May 10 with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States.
Since the US-brokered ceasefire that followed, both Islamabad and New Delhi have undertaken a diplomatic outreach initiative globally to present their respective stance on the recent clashes between the arch-rivals.
Recalling his mediation and interaction with Pakistani and Indian leadership during the skirmishes, the US president said: “I spoke to talented people on both sides. Very good people on both sides [….] I told them we’re not going to deal with you if you go shooting each other and whipping out nuclear weapons.”
“And they stopped the war. Now will they give me credit? They won’t give me credit for anything. But nobody else could have stopped it. I was proud of that,” he remarked.
Trump also claimed that he used the leverage of trade negotiations to pressure both countries into stepping back from the brink. “If you’re not going to do that, we’re not doing trade deals,” he said, adding, “I got that war stopped”.
His remarks come a day after the Kremlin confirmed that the Pakistan-India conflict also came under discussion during the telephonic conversation between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The Middle East was discussed, as well as the armed conflict between India and Pakistan, which has been halted with the personal involvement of President Trump,” Russian president’s aide Yuri Ushakov said on Thursday.
For Pakistan, former foreign minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardar is leading a nine-member high-level parliamentary delegation across several countries to present to the world Pakistan’s stance on the recent military confrontation with India and to challenge New Delhi’s narrative at the international level.
Members of the parliamentary delegation include Hina Rabbani Khar, Sherry Rehman, Dr Musadik Malik, Khurram Dastgir Khan, Jalil Abbas Jilani, Tehmina Janjua, Bushra Anjum Butt and Syed Faisal Subzwari.
Speaking during an interview with Bloomberg a day earlier, Bilawal said that New Delhi’s move presented a new danger in future clashes, adding: “Now we then have about 30 seconds time to decide, off a grainy little image, this nuclear-capable missile — is it armed with a nuclear weapon? And how do we respond?”
India had lowered the threshold for future military action between the nuclear-armed neighbours, he added.
A comprehensive dialogue between the two sides could prevent future conflicts, which could escalate suddenly and be difficult for leaders to intervene in, said the former foreign minister.
“Our concern for next time, heaven forbid, for next time round is that the threshold is low for a military conflict,” he added.
In a future conflict, Bilawal further said that both countries are likely to climb the “escalation ladder” too quickly for President Trump or other leaders to intervene.
