In a first, Trump says two leaders of India-Pak 'decided' to stop conflict
New York/Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump said the two “very smart” leaders of India and Pakistan “decided” not to continue a war that could have turned nuclear, the first time in weeks he did not credit himself for stopping of hostilities between the two neighbouring nations.
Trump made the remarks while speaking to the media in the Oval Office after hosting Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, Asim Munir, for lunch at the White House on Wednesday.
Trump said he was “honoured" to meet Munir.
When asked if Iran was discussed in his meeting with Munir, Trump said: “Well, they know Iran very well, better than most, and they're not happy about anything. It's not that they're bad with Israel. They know them both, actually, but they probably, maybe they know Iran better, but they see what's going on, and he agreed with me."
“The reason I had him here, I want to thank him for not going into the war, ending the war. And I want to thank, as you know, Prime Minister Modi just left a little while ago, and we're working on a trade deal with India. We're working on a trade deal with Pakistan," the president said.
“They were both here, but I was with Modi a few weeks ago. He was here actually, but now we speak to him. And I'm so happy that two smart people, plus you know, people on their staff too, but two smart people, two very smart people decided not to keep going with that war. That could have been a nuclear war. Those are two nuclear powers, big ones, big, big nuclear powers, and they decided that.”
This is the first time in weeks when Trump did not take credit for stopping the military conflict between India and Pakistan.
Since May 10, when India and Pakistan decided to stop the military conflict, Trump has repeatedly claimed on multiple occasions that he “helped settle” tensions between the two countries and that he told the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours that America would do a “lot of trade” with them if they stopped the conflict.
Modi and Trump were scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, but the American president returned to Washington early.
Before departing Kananaskis and wrapping up his first visit to Canada in a decade, Modi had a 35-minute phone conversation with Trump.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, in a video message from Kananaskis, said Modi conveyed to Trump that at “no point” during Operation Sindoor was there any discussion, at any level, on an India-US trade deal or any proposal for mediation by the US between India and Pakistan.
The discussion to cease military action took place directly between India and Pakistan through the existing channels of communication between the two armed forces, and it was initiated at Islamabad's request.
Modi firmly said India will never accept the mediation of a third party, and there is complete political consensus in India on this matter, Misri said.
Misri also noted that following the April 22 Pahalgam attack, Trump expressed his condolences to Modi over a phone call and expressed his support against terrorism.
The phone call on Tuesday in Kananaskis was the “first conversation” between the two leaders since April.
Misri said Trump listened carefully to the points conveyed by the prime minister and expressed his support towards India’s fight against terrorism.
Modi conveyed that India no longer views terrorism as a proxy war, but as a war itself, and that Operation Sindoor is still ongoing.
Trump enquired if Modi could stop over in the US on his way back from Canada, but the prime minister was scheduled to depart for Croatia, the last leg of his three-nation tour that began in Cyprus.
Misri said that due to prior commitments, Modi expressed his inability to visit Washington, and both leaders agreed to make efforts to meet soon.
Earlier in the day, Trump said he spoke to Modi, “a fantastic man”, and stressed the two countries will have a trade deal while repeating his claim that he stopped a war between India and Pakistan.
"Well, I stopped the war. I love Pakistan. I think Modi is a fantastic man. I spoke to him last night. We're going to make a trade deal with Modi of India. But I stopped the war between Pakistan and India,” Trump said on Wednesday.
Trump was asked what he was looking to achieve diplomatically from the meeting with Munir. “This man was extremely influential in stopping it from the Pakistan side,” Trump said, referring to the army chief.
“Modi, from the Indian side, and others. They were going at it, and they're both nuclear countries. I got it stopped. I don't think I had one story. Did I have one story written? I stopped the war between two major nations, major nuclear nations. I don't think I had a story written about it,” he said, adding that the people know.
About two weeks after the April 22 terror attack, which claimed 26 lives, India launched Operation Sindoor targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.
Sources in New Delhi have since maintained that the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop the military action with immediate effect. They said no third party was involved.
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'Rear-guard action': BJP over Mamata accepting sports minister's resignation after Messi event
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Tuesday alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's accepting Aroop Biswas' resignation as the state sports minister is nothing but a "rear-guard action" to douse public anger over the mismanagement of football icon Lionel Messi's event last week.
BJP co-in-charge for West Bengal Amit Malviya alleged that this is also an "open confession" that the Messi event fiasco was not accidental but a government-manufactured disaster, borne out of the poor governance of Banerjee, her ministers and the state bureaucracy.
Banerjee on Tuesday accepted Biswas' resignation as the sports minister in the wake of the controversy over the mismanagement of football icon Messi's event last week, a senior leader of the ruling TMC said.
Biswas, who had written to the chief minister seeking to be relieved of his responsibilities as sports minister, will continue as a cabinet minister, retaining charge of the power department.
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Reacting to the development, Malviya said in a post on X, "TMC Sports Minister Aroop Biswas resigns after the Messi fiasco and Mamata Banerjee accepts it in record time."
"Do not mistake this for accountability; this is nothing but a rear-guard action to douse public anger. anger! This is not 'Raj Dharma'," he added.
The BJP leader alleged that the incident was the outcome of "loot" of common people which is "so synonymous" with the TMC.
The incident was also the outcome of the "shameless VIP culture that TMC thrives on and deep-rooted cronyism promoted by Banerjee," he charged.
Malviya further alleged that Biswas' resignation exposes a "collective failure of Mamata Banerjee, her partisan bureaucracy, and her crony cabinet".
"This is a symbolic sacrifice, a political hoax, soon to be buried under layers of bureaucracy, with no justice, no accountability, and no remorse," the BJP leader said, adding, "No resignation will bring back the time lost, the money wasted, or the stolen chance for football lovers to witness Messi in Kolkata."
