Now, Trump says 2 ‘very smart’ leaders of India and Pakistan decided to end conflict
Two “very smart” leaders of India and Pakistan decided to end last month’s conflict that could have turned into a nuclear war, US President Donald Trump said after holding a rare luncheon meeting with Pakistan army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House.
Trump’s comments on Wednesday crediting the leaders of the two countries with ending the May 7-10 hostilities are seen at variance with his claims over a dozen times in the past few weeks that he brokered the India-Pakistan ceasefire deal.
In his remarks to the media, Trump said he was “honoured” to meet Munir and that he discussed with the military chief the situation arising out of the Iran-Israel conflict, amid speculations that Washington is looking at using Pakistani military bases in case it decides to launch attacks on Tehran.
The US President was also effusive in lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and referred to his telephonic conversation with the Indian leader on Tuesday night.
President Trump expressed keen interest in forging a “mutually beneficial” trade partnership with Pakistan based on long-term strategic convergence and shared interests, the Pakistan army said in a statement.
The US President was accompanied at the meeting by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Special Representative for the Middle East Steve Witkoff. Munir was joined in by Pakistan’s National Security Adviser Lt Gen Asim Malik, who is also head of the spy agency, the ISI.
Ahead of his meeting with Trump, Munir reportedly pitched for the Nobel Peace Prize for President Trump for preventing a nuclear war between India and Pakistan.
It was clear from Trump’s media comments that the last month’s conflict between India and Pakistan as well as the situation arising out of the Iran-Israel standoff figured prominently in his meeting with Munir.
“The reason I had him here was that I want to thank him for not going into the war (with India); ending the war. And I want to thank Prime Minister Modi as well,” the President said.
“We’re working on a trade deal with India. We’re working on a trade deal with Pakistan,” he said. The US president also recalled his meeting with PM Modi in the White House in February.
Trump said he was “happy” that “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 (to end the conflict),” he said.
India