Here Is Why Trump’s India-Pakistan Ceasefire Claim May Not Be Entirely False

Finally, I thought of writing this! We all know how the US President Donald Trump keeps repeating that he brokered peace between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, and how India keeps rejecting that claim. From day one, I have been thinking that Trump cannot be entirely lying or making irresponsible public statements, especially when it comes to dealing with a country like India and a leader like India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who undoubtedly has, or at least had, a strong personal friendship with him.

On the other hand, India also cannot be lying or rejecting Trump’s claim without any basis. Modi knows well how important it was for India that the ceasefire took place, as the war was a distraction for a fast-growing nation like India and was not going to end anytime soon given how it was raging. Then you see Donald Trump tweeting that he brokered the ceasefire, which prompted India to quickly reject any third-party intervention, as India keeps insisting on only bilateral talks when it comes to India and Pakistan.

Then who is right and who is lying? In my opinion, both are right, but both are not disclosing certain facts to keep their political stance aligned with state policy. Here are a few possibilities of what could have happened:

1. Pakistan called up the USA for help. The US then called India and suggested a ceasefire. India told them it would only agree to a ceasefire if Pakistan directly called India. This was because India clearly had the upper hand and Pakistan was helpless. So Pakistan’s DGMO called up his Indian counterpart, and after their conversation, India agreed to a ceasefire.
2. When Pakistan’s nuclear facilities were bombed, the USA panicked, as it reportedly had its own interest in keeping the plant safe. The USA called up India, requesting a ceasefire, but India told them it would only agree to a ceasefire if Pakistan directly requested it. Following this, the USA instructed Pakistan to call India and request a ceasefire, which India gladly accepted.
3. Donald Trump, on his own, wanted to stop the war for various reasons. He called up Modi and spoke about it, but Modi told him it was not going to happen with third-party intervention. If Pakistan continued to attack, India would respond with more force. Modi was not a person to accept threats. Trump then got Pakistan’s General Munir on the phone and told him about this. Realising the way forward was to directly ask India, Pakistan’s DGMO was instructed to call India’s DGMO.

In all the cases, it seems the USA did get involved, but the end result, the ceasefire, happened only when Pakistan called up India for a ceasefire. So Trump was right when he said he brokered it, although his presentation and style of taking credit backfired because India had been consistently saying it would not accept third-party mediation in India-Pakistan affairs. Similarly, India did not lie when it said Trump did not broker peace, because technically, diplomatically, and militarily it was the talks between the Indian and Pakistani DGMOs that ended the war.

I think Donald Trump, although he did work for the ceasefire, went overboard in claiming the credit and took India for granted. He did not realise that India was led by a very strong and principle-minded leader, and was firm in its resolve not to allow any third-party mediation. Had Trump said he helped make Pakistan call up India and request a ceasefire, perhaps India would not have rejected such a claim so strongly.

Unfortunately, the damage was done, especially after Trump’s aides made nonsensical statements about India and Brahmins without realising the consequences. I still hope that both India and the US will work on this and come up with a joint statement to end speculations.

For those wondering what Operation Sindoor was, it happened in May 2025 after the Pahalgam terror attack. India launched missile and air strikes on nine terror camps inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Pakistan retaliated, and it turned into one of the biggest flare-ups in years in a matter of days, with heavy exchanges across the border. The whole thing wrapped up with a ceasefire on May 10, 2025, after the Pakistani DGMO called up India’s DGMO. That’s the ceasefire I am referring to.

_{(Image credit: AI Generated image with minor manual edits)}