- US President claims: ‘Had also called both of them [great people] offering to mediate between Pakistan and Afghanistan
- Reiterates his role in ending a four-day conflict between Pakistan and India in May
GYEONGJU, South Korea: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday once again praised both Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir while reiterating his role in ending a four-day conflict between Pakistan and India in May.
Earlier this month, Trump had thanked PM Shehbaz and COAS Munir, his “favorite,” for their efforts in achieving peace in Gaza. He had also called both of them “great people” while offering to mediate between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Today, while addressing a luncheon at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)—which is being hosted in Gyeongju, South Korea this year—Trump talked about both Pakistan and India, as well as the conflict between the countries earlier this year.
“I’m doing a trade deal with India and I have great respect and love, as you know, for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as you know. We have a great relationship,” he said.
“Likewise, the prime minister of Pakistan is a great guy, and the Field marshal—they have a Field Marshal. You know why he’s a field marshal? He’s a great fighter. He really is. He’s a great guy too.
“And so I know them all. And I’m reading that seven planes were shot down—they’re going at it and they’re really starting to go, and it’s a big thing. These are two nuclear nations and they’re really going at it,” Trump said.
The US president went on to say that he called Modi and said, “We can’t make a trade deal with you. ‘No, no, we must make a trade deal.’ I said, “No we can’t. You’re starting a war with Pakistan; we’re not gonna do it.”
He added that he then had a similar conversation with Pakistan’s leadership. “I said, ‘We’re not gonna do trade with you because you’re fighting with India.’
“And they said, ‘No no no … you should let us fight.’ They both said that. You know, they’re warring. They’re strong people.”
Trump then called Modi the “nicest looking guy” and proceeded to do an impression of the Indian leader while adding that “he’s a killer” and “tough as hell.”
“But after a while—and they’re good people—and after literally two days, they called up and they said, ‘We understand.’ And they stopped fighting. How is that? Isn’t that amazing?
“You think Biden would’ve done that? I don’t think so,” he tacked on. “Most people wouldn’t have thought of it.”
He said, “We’re doing deals. So you add an extra sentence and you say, ‘You have to stop shooting at each other.’ Seven planes were shot down … and they stopped the war.”
The president attributed the success to his aggressive approach with tariffs, saying, “I said I was going to put 250 percent tariffs on each country, which means that you’ll never do business … Within 48 hours, we had no war, no people killed,” he said.
Meanwhile, the May conflict between Pakistan and India was sparked by an attack on Hindu tourists in occupied Kashmir, which New Delhi, without evidence, said was backed by Pakistan. Pakistan has denied involvement, with the foreign ministry having questioned the credibility of India’s account of the events, saying it was “replete with fabrications.”
Both sides used fighter jets, missiles, artillery, and drones during the four-day conflict, killing dozens of people, before agreeing to a ceasefire. In the immediate aftermath of the conflict, Pakistan said it took down six Indian fighter jets during the conflict, including the French-made Rafale. New Delhi acknowledged “some losses” during the conflict but denied losing six jets.
Months later in September, PM Shehbaz—during a United Nations General Assembly speech—said that the Pakistan Air Force turned “seven of the Indian jets” into scrap and dust. Later, Trump also described how he confronted both nations during a conflict that saw “seven aircraft shot down.”
