US President Donald Trump, who has insisted time and again that his government was instrumental in negotiating a "ceasefire" between India and Pakistan, called the progress a "big success" on Friday.
He further added that the strong animosity between the two bordering nations "was not a good thing." Addressing journalists on board Air Force One on May 16 while making his way back to Washington from his Gulf tour, Trump declared, "We are very happy with what happened with, I hope it continues, and I think it will, but what happens with India and Pakistan. That was a big success.". Had you seen the intensity of fury between the two, that was not a good thing.
This is the seventh time since May 10 when Trump has asserted that the US facilitated the ceasefire between New Delhi and Islamabad.
On his four-day Gulf tour, which covered Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, Trump reaffirmed his claim that he "helped settle" the feud when he was speaking to US troops at Al Udeid Air Base in the Qatari capital Doha — the largest US military base in the region.
The roots of the conflict date back to May 7, when India conducted surgical strikes under 'Operation Sindoor' against terror installations in retaliation against the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26.
Pakistan responded by attempting to attack Indian military installations on May 8, 9, and 10. Indian troops retaliated with devastating counterattacks against several Pakistani military installations.
Following four days of heavy cross-border drone and missile attacks, the two nations agreed to stop fighting on May 10. Trump on Saturday announced India and Pakistan had agreed to a "full and immediate ceasefire" after "a long night of talks facilitated by the United States." Later, he wrote on Truth Social, saying he was willing to help India and Pakistan resolve the Kashmir conflict to a "solution," giving credit to Washington for enabling the two nations to take the "historic and heroic decision" to stop the combat.
In the meantime, Indian officials in New Delhi have insisted that the ceasefire understanding was reached directly between the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan involving a complete stoppage of all firing and military activities on land, air, and sea at once. They categorically asserted that there was no role for any outside party.
India has always asserted that Kashmir is a bilateral problem with Pakistan and that it excludes any role for third parties.
