Hours after President Donald Trump claimed that he used trade as leverage to end conflict between India and Pakistan, New Delhi on Monday rejected the claim saying no trade discussions took place with the US following ‘Operation Sindoor’ which was launched to avenge Pahalgam terror attack.
“After ‘Operation Sindoor’ commenced, VP JD Vance spoke to PM on 09 May. Secretary Rubio spoke to EAM on 8 May and 10 May and to NSA on 10 May. There was no reference to trade in any of these discussions,” said government sources in a statement, according to News 18.
Earlier in the day, President Trump again claimed the credit for India-Pakistan ‘ceasefire’, saying that US intervention prevented a “bad nuclear war” between the rivals.
“We stopped a nuclear conflict. I think it could have been a bad nuclear war, millions of people could have been killed. So I’m very proud of that,” AFP quoted Trump as telling reporters at the White House.
He further said that his administration helped broker what may be a permanent" ceasefire and claimed trade was a big reason behind it.
“We helped a lot. Come on, we’re going to do a lot of trade with you guys. Let’s stop it. Stop it. If you stop it we do trade. If you don’t stop we don’t do any trade. People have never used trade the way I use it,” Trump was quote as saying.
“And all of a sudden they said I think we’re going to stop … Trade was a big reason,” he reiterated.
On Saturday evening, in a surprise development, President Trump announced that both India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after a “long night of talks” mediated by the US.
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View AllTaking to Truth Social, he said, “After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE. Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Shortly after, the ceasefire was officially confirmed by India’s Ministry of External Affairs and Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry.
According to India, the agreement—covering land, air, and sea operations— was finalised following a call from Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations to his Indian counterpart at 3:35 pm and came into effect at 5 pm.
The understanding was arrived at after four days of intense cross-border military exchanges that raised serious concerns of a broader conflict.
India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ on the night of May 6–7 in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives.
In a swift and coordinated offensive, Indian forces struck nine terror targets across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, reportedly killing over 100 terrorists.
In response, Pakistan attempted strikes on multiple Indian military installations on May 8, 9, and 10.
India countered with a powerful assault on key Pakistani military facilities, including those at Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, and Chunian.
Radar installations at Pasrur and the Sialkot air base were also hit with precision munitions, resulting in heavy damage.
With inputs from agencies