A major problem arose on the international stage following the Pahalgam evil attack and” Operation Sindoor”: Did US President Donald Trump mediate a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, or was it entirely bilateral?
Trump made a number of claims that the two countries were brokering a truce, but India made it clear that the agreement was diplomatic and that it was reached after Pakistan‘s DGMO approached his American counterpart. It all started when Trump, in the middle of cross-border strain between India and Pakistan, claimed on social media that the United States had mediated a peace. The news caused a row because it came out even before India or Pakistan‘s established speech. However, the US response to the initial onset of India-Pakistan anxiety was contradictory. Following the April 22 Pahalgam evil strike, Washington oscillated between solitude and obscure criticism. Trump brushed aside concerns about the issue on April 26 and said,” They will find out one way or the other.” India, on the other hand, had now set the tone. It had established a simple rule: any criminal act may entail a well-prepared defense response. That approach was made obvious through’ Operation Sindoor ‘—a precision strike battle between May 6 and 9 targeting cross-border despair and military equipment.
Making a dozen names is not counseling, according to the saying.
Prof. Rajan Kumar of the School of International Relations, JNU, spoke to the Times of India about the distinction between organized mediation and casual politics. ” In worldwide connections, making a dozen names is not considered dialogue or counseling. Setting out precise peace situations is a necessary part of mediating. Trump acknowledged that both PM Modi and the Muslim leadership were in contact, but India responded, he said, because the problems now favor a ceasefire. According to Prof Kumar, India had profoundly conveyed its dark line to both international and local people. It had stated that any terrorist attack would only cause a response in evil tents. That message was delivered through its defense deeds and the encouraging data.
Trump’s historical error reveals bad political consciousness
In a statement to the Times of India, Dr. Ashok Sharma, a visiting fellow at the Australian Defence Force Academy and a visiting fellow at the University of New South Wales Canberra, criticized Donald Trump’s knowledge of the area’s story. He claimed that India and Pakistan had been fighting for decades following the Pahalgam strike. That’s a distinct traditional inaccuracy—Pakistan was created just in 1947″, Dr Sharma said. Claims like these “undermine the trust of his remarks about mediating a peace” and “open a significant difference in political attention.”
Trump’s inconsistencies and self-congratulations
As the events turned out, Trump’s criticism on the India-Pakistan conflict became more and more serious. On May 10, he posted on Truth Social:” After a long day of speaks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a full and immediate peace. Thanks to both nations for using popular feeling and excellent knowledge. Trump has a terrible habit of denying record for everything, according to Prof. Kumar. ” He projects himself as a peacemaker—perhaps yet eying a Nobel Prize. But in fact, he is far from the floor. Despite his claims, neither Gaza nor Ukraine have experienced compromise success. Yet Netanyahu isn’t listening to him, while the US is negotiating with Iran—something Netanyahu opposes “.Prof Pushpesh Pant echoed similar views:” Donald Trump is foolish and uncertain. It is bound to be misleading to try to interpret his foreign legislation through comments.
Trump’s criticism on India and Pakistan: A timeline of inconsistencies
” Greatly shocking news out of Kashmir. India and the United States are powerful allies for terrorism. We pray for the restoration of the injured and the hearts of the lost. Prime Minister Modi, and the remarkable people of India, have our complete support and deepest sentiments. We all have your best interests at heart.
April 23: Trump posted on X ( previous Twitter ):” In the immediate wake of the Pahalgam attack,
” May find out one means or the other”.
April 26: Three days later, Trump made a flimsy comment about his role in the issue.
” Oh, that’s so awful!” My place is I get along with both. Both of them are very well known, and I want to see how they can work things out. They should cease, and I hope they will do so at this point. They’ve gone tit for tat, but finally, they can prevent now”. And if I can help in any way, I will be it, he continued,” We only heard about it as we were walking through the Oval Office]… They have been fighting for a while. They’ve been fighting for many, many years —and ages, really, if you think about it. I’m hoping it comes to an end really quickly.
May 8: Trump made a general charm for peace the day before Operation Sindoor was launched.
” That’s ultimately none of our company”. He went on to say that” we want this situation to de-escalate as quickly as possible,” which Secretary Rubio and President Trump both said. However, we are unable to manage these nations,# 39. Ultimately India has its misgivings with Pakistan… However, we&# 39 are not going to get involved in the middle of a war.
May 9: Vice President JD Vance vehemently opposed the US from playing any active position in an interview with Fox News.
” After a long day of speaks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE. Thanks to both nations for utilizing” Great Intelligence” and Common Sense.
May 10: President Trump made a dramatic claim of being responsible for a peace.
” I am monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan carefully. I concur with President Trump’s earlier statement that this should finally come to an end and will continue to engage both the Indian and Pakistani leadership in a peaceful resolution.
US Defense Secretary Marco Rubio stated the same day ( 10 May ):
Afterwards, in another interview, Trump labelled the whole event one of his “biggest triumphs”, claiming that tensions had reached near nuclear amounts and that his backchannel politics averted crisis. Trump has made these claims numerous days in the last few weeks.
US VP JD Vance distance India-Pakistan conflicts
Adding to the combined signs, US Vice President JD Vance, who was on a political visit to India during the Pahalgam strike, took a dramatically different range. He told Fox News on May 9 that” that’s necessarily none of our company.” India and the US announced deeper economic relations, with India agreeing to raise US goods, marginalizing China.” We does encourage de-escalation, but we’re never going to get involved in the middle of a war,” said the distance. Trump’s camp portrayed this as another win for his” America First” business plan. Trump’s deal-making talent is reshaping international trade, according to a Democratic director.
Washington draws the dark lines, no India.
India quickly rejected Trump’s claim that the US mediated the stalemate or used industry pressure to control its decisions. There were discussions between Indian and US leaders from May 7, when Operation Sindoor began, until May 10, when military action ended, according to the ministry of external affairs ( MEA ). In no of these discussions did trade issues arise.” The MEA reiterated India’s place on Kashmir: the single unresolved issue is the trip of Pakistan-occupied place.
India’s plan vs Trump’s drama
The outcome of the Pahalgam incident revealed two different policy-driven crisis management strategies: Trump’s colorful self-promotion and India’s deliberate approach. American officials and academics contend that New Delhi neither sought nor relied on US mediation, despite the fact that Washington may have helped to facilitate backchannel connection. The peace was, in the end, a item of India’s proper clarity, no Trump’s diplomacy.
Operation Sindoor in India
On May 6 and 7, India launched Operation Sindoor, which targeted nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir ( PoK), killing over 50 terrorists, including those linked to the Pahalgam attack. The procedure focused key websites including Jaish-e-Mohammad’s center in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba’s office in Muridke. This led to four nights of cross-border tensions, including flying strikes in border states, and a significant increase between India and Pakistan as a result. In response to the April 23 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 citizens, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the military forces” full operational freedom” following the high-level conference on April 29. With the military phase of Operation Sindoor concluded, diplomatic efforts are now underway. Both India and Pakistan are promoting global awareness and preventing further escalation. Seven all-party parliamentary delegations, including those from the UN Security Council ( UNSC ) and significant international powers, have been dispatched by India to 25 nations. The 10-day mission, comprising 51 political leaders and 8 former ambassadors, is aimed at countering Pakistan’s terrorism narrative and reaffirming India’s zero-tolerance stance on global platforms.
