'If I can do anything to help, I will be there': President Trump on tensions between India, Pakistan
New York/Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump has said he wants India and Pakistan to “stop” what he described as “tit for tat” actions, saying if he can do anything to “help”, he will be there.
Trump's remarks came after the Indian military carried out strikes against terror targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan's Punjab province on Wednesday. Pakistan army carried out one of the most intense artillery and mortar shelling in years targeting forward villages along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Oh it’s so terrible. My position is I get along with both. I know both very well and I want to see them work it out. I want to see them stop and hopefully they can stop now. They have gone tit for tat, so hopefully they can stop now. I know both, we get along with both the countries very well.
“Good relationships with both and I want to see it stop. And If I can do anything to help, I will be there,” Trump said in response to a question on the “war” between India and Pakistan.
He was speaking on Wednesday in the Oval Office after the swearing-in ceremony of David Perdue as US Ambassador to China.
Earlier, hours after the Indian strikes, Trump had said that India and Pakistan have been fighting for a long time and people knew “something was going to happen”.
“It’s a shame, we just heard about it just as we were walking in the doors of the Oval (Office). Just heard about it. I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past. They’ve been fighting for a long time.
“They’ve been fighting for many, many decades and centuries, actually, if you really think about it,” Trump said when asked about the attacks between India and Pakistan.
When asked if he has any message for the two countries, he said, “No, I just hope it ends very quickly.”
Meanwhile, a top American military commander has said that the US is “watching the situation very closely” after Indian military strikes.
“It’s right now too early to opine on any of that. We’re watching the situation very closely. We’re nested with our higher headquarters and USINDOPACOM as the information about these strikes becomes more clear,” US Army Pacific Commanding General, General Ronald Clark said during a digital press briefing Wednesday.
India launched Operation Sindoor hitting nine terror targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Punjab province of Pakistan in retaliation for the April 22 attack that killed 26 people in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.
Pakistan Army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said 31 people were killed and 57 others injured in the Indian missile strikes launched shortly after midnight.
Separately, at least 13 people, including four children and a soldier, were killed and 57 injured as the Pakistan army carried out one of the most intense artillery and mortar shelling in years targeting forward villages along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after the Indian missile strikes.
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Kerala polls: ‘People rejected 10 years of misrule’, says AICC gen secy
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal on Monday said the Congress-led UDF’s sweeping victory in the Kerala Assembly polls was a clear verdict against the “arrogance”, corruption, and nepotism of the CPI(M)-led LDF government headed by CM Pinarayi Vijayan.
Addressing a press conference as counting of votes for all 140 Assembly constituencies neared completion, Venugopal said the outcome reflected public anger against what he termed “10 years of misrule” by the Left government.
He claimed that Vijayan’s victory in his home constituency, Dharmadam, was “only technical”, alleging that the CM trailed the UDF candidate in the initial rounds of counting and failed to secure a majority in his own village.
“He just escaped. He suffered a setback even in his home turf. He was the only person who did not realise the people’s mood in this election,” Venugopal said.
Alleging that the CPI(M) and the LDF had resorted to “communal and opportunistic politics”, he further claimed that the ruling front had entered into a “secret understanding” with the BJP in a bid to retain power for a third consecutive term.
He said that when a government driven by power and arrogance attempts to align with anyone to stay in office, even its own cadre turns against it.
Referring to the results, Venugopal said that while the UDF expected rebel CPI(M) leaders, including K Kunhikrishnan in Payyannur, to impact the vote share, their victories came as a surprise.
Describing the UDF’s performance as a “historic victory”, he attributed it to coordinated teamwork, grassroots mobilisation, and the dedication of party workers, adding that the alliance accepted the mandate “with humility”.
Venugopal also credited Rahul Gandhi’s campaign guarantees, calling them a “trump card” that helped voters focus on real issues and reject what he described as the LDF’s “false narratives”.
He claimed that the Congress witnessed one of its lowest levels of rebellion in this election, which contributed to the alliance’s strong performance.
The senior Congress leader further alleged that the BJP managed to win two seats with the help of the CPI(M), and asserted that forces attempting to divide society on communal lines should “learn a lesson” from Kerala’s verdict.
“This is the real Kerala story,” he said.
On the question of the next Chief Minister, Venugopal said the party leadership would decide at the earliest after due consultations.
The counting of votes began on Monday morning for all 140 Assembly constituencies in Kerala, where the Congress-led UDF secured a decisive majority, defeating the CPI(M)-led LDF, which was seeking an unprecedented third consecutive term in office.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) posts, "Thank you to my brothers and sisters in Keralam for a truly decisive mandate. Congratulations to every UDF leader and worker for a hard-fought, well-run campaign. As I said before, Keralam has the talent, Keralam has the potential… pic.twitter.com/6T4IZbEmp4
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 4, 2026
