Trump lauds Pakistan’s leadership for crediting him with stopping war with India

  • US President said Army Chief Asim Munir praised him for ‘saving millions of lives’ by for preventing escalation
  • ‘I love the way he (Asim Munir) said it,’ Trump remarked, describing the Pakistani acknowledgment as one of the most moving tributes he had received
  • Recalled calling both India and Pakistan during four-day May conflict, claiming US trade leverage forced ceasefire between nuclear rivals
  • Described Pakistan-India standoff as among ‘seven wars’ he settled, saying Pakistan reported downing six Indian fighter jets, including Rafales

WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed credit for averting a full-scale war between Pakistan and India earlier this year, saying his intervention prevented “millions of deaths” and earned him rare praise from Pakistan’s top leadership, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported on Wednesday.

“India and Pakistan were going at it. I called them both… They had just shot down seven planes… I said, if you do this, there’s not going to be any trade, and I stopped the war. It was raging for four days,” Trump told American military commanders during a visit to Quantico, Virginia, near Washington, D.C, the APP said.

Trump said he used the leverage of US trade to halt the May 7–10 conflict, which he described as “one of the largest aerial combats in modern warfare.” Pakistan claimed to have shot down six Indian fighter jets, including advanced Rafale aircraft, while India acknowledged losses without disclosing details, APP added.

Recounting the episode, Trump said: “You cannot start a war between two nuclear nations. Big nuclear. No, no, no. You go into this freaking war and I stopped it.” On May 10, he announced via social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a ceasefire following U.S. diplomatic engagement.

The president said he was “honored” when Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir — whom he described as “a very important guy in Pakistan” — credited him with saving millions of lives. “He (Asim Munir) said: ‘This man (Donald Trump) saved millions of lives because he stopped the war from going on.’ That war was going to get very bad. I was very honored,” Trump added.

The APP said President Trump also pointed to his peace plan for Gaza, announced a day earlier, noting that Arab and Muslim nations had endorsed it. “Hamas has to agree, and if they don’t, it’s going to be very tough on them. But all of the Arab nations, Muslim nations, have agreed,” he said.

Citing “seven wars” he claims to have settled within nine months of his administration, Trump underscored that the Pakistan-India standoff may have been the most dangerous. He also highlighted warming U.S.-Pakistan ties, recalling his Oval Office meeting last week with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir.

“I love the way he (Asim Munir) said it,” Trump remarked, describing the Pakistani acknowledgment as one of the most moving tributes he had received.

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