India-Pak going to live very nicely together: Trump at Gaza Peace Summit

Trump's remarks came against the backdrop of heightened tensions that the two nuclear-armed neighbours witnessed in May this year

US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) voiced confidence that India and Pakistan would “live very nicely together”, while emphasising the prospects for regional peace and cooperation.

 

Trump made these remarks at the Gaza Peace Summit in Egypt. Without naming Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he highlighted his rapport with the Indian leader, saying, “India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top, and he has done a fantastic job. I think that Pakistan and India are going to live very nicely together.”

India–Pakistan military conflict

 

Trump’s comments came against the backdrop of heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours earlier this year. On April 22, a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam killed 26 tourists, mostly Indians.

 

In response, the Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor, targeting terrorist infrastructure at nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Soon after, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border firing, and after four days of confrontation, both sides agreed to a ceasefire.

 

While Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for brokering peace between New Delhi and Islamabad, a sentiment echoed by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, India has consistently denied any third-party involvement in the understanding that ended hostilities.  ALSO READ | Trump hails Gaza war's end, Netanyahu cautious on future peace prospects

Trump reiterates role in India–Pakistan peace deal

 

Trump’s latest remarks at the Gaza Peace Summit came a day after he said aboard Air Force One that he had used tariffs as a tool to defuse several international conflicts, including tensions between India and Pakistan.

 

Speaking to reporters, he said, “I settled a few of the wars just based on tariffs. For example, between India and Pakistan, I said, if you guys want to fight a war and you have nuclear weapons, I am going to put big tariffs on you both — like 100 per cent, 150 per cent, and 200 per cent.”

 

He added that his threat to impose steep tariffs on both countries helped contain the situation swiftly. “I said I am putting tariffs. I had that thing settled in 24 hours. If I didn’t have tariffs, you could have never settled that war,” he said.

 

On October 6, Trump had made similar claims at the White House, asserting that his tariff strategy had prevented several global conflicts. “If I didn’t have the power of tariffs, you would have at least four of the seven wars raging. If you look at India and Pakistan, they were ready to go at it. Seven planes were shot down… I don’t want to say exactly what I said, but what I said was very effective. Not only did we make hundreds of billions of dollars, but we’re a peacekeeper because of tariffs,” he said.

Eight conflicts Trump claims to have resolved

 

1. India–Pakistan
2. Israel–Gaza
3. Israel–Iran
4. Armenia–Azerbaijan
5. Thailand–Cambodia
6. Democratic Republic of Congo–Rwanda
7. Serbia–Kosovo
8. Egypt–Ethiopia