Former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton on Wednesday rejected President Donald Trump's repeated claim that he was the one responsible for defusing tensions between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan.
Bolton shot down the assertion as merely "Trump being Trump," stating that the former president tends to take "credit for everything.
Bolton also voiced vigorous backing of India's military action against Pakistan under 'Operation Sindoor,' declaring that it was a legitimate act of self-defence in response to the April 22 terror attack in Kashmir, where 26 lost their lives.
Speaking in an interview to news agency ANI, Bolton underlined the urgent requirement for Pakistan to rein in terrorism within the country and cautioned against terrible consequences if it goes on permitting such dangers to continue.
"India was justified in acting in self-defence against sites within Pakistan where the terrorist attack was being planned and launched from. It is a major problem when a nation cannot stop that sort of terrorist activity on their soil, or indeed perhaps even contributing to it. India's response was completely legitimate, but it does provoke some questions as to whether there is any hope of convincing the Pakistani government that this is ultimately not in their interest and can have much more severe repercussions for them if they do not get it under control," he said.
As for Trump's statement on brokering peace between India and Pakistan, Bolton stated that the assertion shouldn't be taken personally by New Delhi. "This is Donald Trump, who appropriates credit for everything. It's characteristic of Trump because he would interject before everybody else could appropriate credit. It might be annoying, likely is annoying to a lot of people, but it's not against India, it's just Trump being Trump," he said.
He did admit, however, that Trump was possibly in contact with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, or Secretary of State Marco Rubio while the crisis was occurring, noting that other world leaders might have also called in to make diplomatic contributions.
Bolton also commented on Pakistan's military advancements, specifically the elevation of Army Chief Gen Asim Munir to Field Marshal, describing it as an ominous sign of internal strife. "Internal dissent within Pakistan is suppressed. Imran Khan is still in jail. I really don't believe that this is in Pakistan's interest in and of itself. This is something that the US government ought to put pressure on," he said.
The ex-National Security Advisor supported India's move to send an all-party delegation to strategic partner countries to create a sense of awareness regarding its ongoing counterterrorism operations. He emphasized the need to educate the international community about the real nature of such attacks. "It's unacceptable for innocent civilians to be threatened and harmed by terrorist attacks," Bolton asserted.
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