Modi denies third party brokered peace with Pakistan
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday denied that any world leader pushed India to stop fighting Pakistan during their recent conflict, after repeated claims by US President Donald Trump that he had brokered peace. The South Asian rivals fought an intense four-day conflict in May that left more than 70 people dead on both sides before Trump announced a ceasefire between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
'No world leader asked us to stop the operation,' Modi told parliament during a debate on 'Operation Sindoor', the military campaign launched against Pakistan in May. Modi did not name Trump in his speech.
The Indian prime minister also claimed that it was Pakistan that pleaded with India to stop fighting after feeling the 'heat of our attacks'. The conflict was sparked by an April attack on tourists by gunmen in Indian-administered Kashmir that left 26 men dead, mostly Hindus.
India accused Pakistan of backing the attackers, a charge Islamabad denied. Trump has claimed numerous times that he brokered peace between the rivals, including most recently on Monday. 'If I weren't around, you'd have, right now, six major wars going on. India would be fighting with Pakistan,' Trump said during his visit to Scotland. Modi's assertion came after Rahul Gandhi from the opposition Congress party challenged the premier to say 'inside the parliament that Donald Trump is lying'. Earlier Tuesday, home minister Amit Shah told lawmakers that three Pakistani gunmen involved in the attack in Indian-administered Kashmir were killed during a military operation on Monday.
The fighting in May brought the countries close to another war, but Trump announced a ceasefire between them before the two countries did. Soon, opposition parties in India started raising questions about third-party mediation between the foes, a claim New Delhi has always denied. – AFP
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