 "‘Puzzling’: US honours Ricky Gill, Indian-origin Trump adviser, for ‘India-Pakistan ceasefire’ role")
Ranjit ‘Ricky’ Singh Gill, a US advisor of Indian origin, has drawn attention after being awarded the National Security Council’s Distinguished Action Award for his role in what was described as “India-Pakistan ceasefire negotiations” following Operation Sindoor earlier this year.
According to a MoneyControl report, Gill, who serves as senior director for South and Central Asia at the National Security Council and as special assistant to President Donald Trump, received the award from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this week.
The Distinguished Action Award is among the NSC’s highest internal honors and is given for exceptional service in advancing US national security objectives.
However, the recognition has triggered debate in India, where the government has repeatedly rejected assertions that the United States played a mediating role in the conflict.
Former Indian foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal described the award as “puzzling” and questioned its purpose.
“Now, it is a middle-level officer in the NSC who could knock together the Indian and Pakistani heads. Can’t see any purpose being served except to irritate India in propagating such a fictitious claim when India has denied any US role in the ceasefire, even at Trump’s level,” he tweeted.
Retired civil servant and geopolitical commentator NN Ojha added, “Is it US declaration to supersede Modi govt’s claim that there was no third country intervention for ceasefire?”
Social media reactions ranged from skepticism to criticism, with one X user posting, “Washington is now handing out medals for meddling… Pure American chest thumping and spin on our security.”
Quick Reads
View AllWho is ‘Ricky’ Singh Gill?
Gill, 37, was born in Lodi, New Jersey, to Punjabi Sikh physicians Jasbir and Param Gill. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and later obtained a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
An experienced figure in US policymaking, Gill served on the National Security Council during President Trump’s first term as director for Russia and European energy security. He also worked as a senior advisor at the State Department’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations.
In his current role, he is responsible for policy covering India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the wider South and Central Asia region.
Between government appointments, Gill worked as a policy advisor for TC Energy, the company behind the Keystone XL pipeline. In August this year, he traveled to India to hold discussions on the long-delayed India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) amid ongoing trade tensions and tariff disputes.
Before entering government service, Gill ran as a Republican candidate for California’s House of Representatives in 2012 at the age of 24, narrowly losing to Democrat Jerry McNerney.
Commenting on the race at the time, political science professor Thomas Holyoke said, “Maybe this kid is some kind of wunderkind.”
Gill has now received recognition from Washington with an award from the National Security Council, even as debate continues over the extent of US involvement in the India–Pakistan ceasefire.
With inputs from agencies
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