Trump, again, claims credit for ending India-Pak conflict

Washington, May 21 (IANS) President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed once again that he ended India-Pakistan hostilities, holding out to the two countries the lure of trading with the US.

“I think I settled it through trade,” Trump said in a media interview in the White House with visiting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, referring to the India-Pakistan hostilities. “We’re doing a big deal with India. We're doing a big deal with Pakistan …What are you guys doing? You know, somebody had to be the last one to shoot. But the shooting was getting worse and worse, bigger and bigger, deeper and deeper into the countries.”

Trump went on to say, “We spoke to them, and we, I think we, you know, I hate to say we got it settled, and then two days later, something happens, and they say it's Trump's fault. Pakistan has got some excellent people and some really good... great leaders, and India has my friend (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi. He's a great guy.”

President Trump and his administration have repeatedly claimed to end the hostilities between the two South Asian countries following the killing of tourists in Pahalgam by terrorists linked to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The US has been in touch with both sides, as have many other countries, which had called for both India and Pakistan to end the conflict.

India has said the conflict ended after a phone call from the Pakistani military.

But President Trump became the first to announce the end of fighting, saying the “ceasefire” had been mediated by the US. Secretary of State Marco Rubio went further and said the two sides have agreed “to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site”.

India has historically opposed third-party involvement in settling any of its disputes, insisting on dealing with them bilaterally. President Trump, however, has insisted on offering mediation to settle India’s issues with both Pakistan and China, to which India has both firmly and repeatedly turned down politely.

--IANS

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