Modi Rejects India-US Trade, Mediation Claims in Phone Call Ahead of Trump's Lunch With Pakistani Army Chief
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Modi Rejects India-US Trade, Mediation Claims in Phone Call Ahead of Trump's Lunch With Pakistani Army Chief
The Wire Staff
7 minutes ago
Until now, the Ministry of External Affairs, and External Affair minister S Jaishankar had only pushed back publicly against Trump's narrative, though it didn't stop the US president from repeating it again.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US President Donald Trump. Photo: Screengrab from YouTube/The White House
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New Delhi: Even as the US President prepares to host a Pakistani army chief at the White House for the first time in over five years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Donald Trump that India had never, 'at any level', discussed a trade deal or third-party mediation with the United States during its recent military standoff with Pakistan.
Modi's remarks came during a 35-minute phone conversation initiated by Trump after their planned bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, was cancelled due to the US President's early return to Washington.
The call took place on the eve of Trump hosting Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, for lunch at the White House on Wednesday (June 18) afternoon.
The last time a Pakistani army chief was at the White House was in July 2019, when General Qamar Javed Bajwa accompanied then Prime Minister Imran Khan during a meeting with President Trump.
Modi-Trump Phone call comes amid growing domestic criticism, Opposition's questions
The phone call also came amid growing domestic criticism. Days earlier, the Congress party had questioned Modi's 'silence' in response to Trump's repeated claims – made at least 13 times across public platforms – that the US had facilitated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan by leveraging trade negotiations.
Most recently, on June 15, Trump again claimed credit, saying he could just as easily broker peace between Israel and Iran 'just like I got India and Pakistan to make, in that case by using TRADE with the United States to bring reason, cohesion, and sanity into the talks with two excellent leaders who were able to quickly make a decision and STOP'.
The Trump administration had also formalised the claim in a legal document, with US Commerce Secretary Howard W. Lutnick stating in a written filing to a New York federal court that President Trump used trade access as an incentive to 'avert a full-scale war' between India and Pakistan.
Until now, the Ministry of External Affairs, and External Affair minister S Jaishankar had only pushed back publicly against Trump's narrative, though it didn't stop the US president from repeating it again. It was not known if India had lodged a formal protest.
This was Modi's first phone call with Trump since India and Pakistan ended their hostilities on May 10.
'Prime Minister Modi clearly conveyed to President Trump that at no point during this entire sequence of events was there any discussion, at any level, on an India–U.S. trade deal, or any proposal for a mediation by the U.S. between India and Pakistan,' said Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in a video statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.
There has been no separate readout of the call from the White House.
Misri added that Modi reiterated India's military operations were paused following talks between the two armies – 'and it was initiated at Pakistan's request'.
'Prime Minister Modi firmly stated that India does not and will never accept mediation. There is complete political consensus in India on this matter,' he said.
The Prime Minister also described the May 6–7 airstrikes on terror camps as 'very measured, precise, and non-escalatory'.
He repeated India's rhetorical message that any goli (bullet) from Pakistan would be met with a gola (shell) in return.
According to Modi's account, US Vice President J.D. Vance had warned him on the night of May 9 that 'Pakistan could launch a major attack on India'.
It was only after India's 'very strong response' on May 9, rendering Pakistani airbases 'inoperable', that Islamabad requested a halt to the military action.
Misri said Trump 'listened carefully to the points conveyed by the Prime Minister and expressed his support towards India's fight against terrorism'. 'Prime Minister Modi also stated that India no longer views terrorism as a proxy war, but as a war itself, and that India's Operation Sindoor is still ongoing,' he added.
Trump also enquired whether Modi could stop over in the US on his return from Canada. 'Due to prior commitments, Prime Minister Modi expressed his inability to do so,' said Misri. However, both leaders agreed to make efforts to meet in the near future.
They also discussed the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, and agreed that direct dialogue was essential for peace in the Russia–Ukraine conflict.
Why Trump's decision to host a luncheon for Munir is significant
On the Indo-Pacific, the two leaders shared perspectives and reiterated support for the QUAD's role in the region. Modi extended an invitation to Trump to visit India for the next QUAD Summit, which Trump accepted, added the foreign secretary.
While India stated that the US supports its fight against terrorism, it is also clear that the Trump administration does not share New Delhi's view of Pakistan as the ' global epicentre of terrorism '.
Instead, Islamabad has carved out space as a counter-terrorism partner under President Trump, after being largely sidelined following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Trump's decision to host a luncheon for Munir is therefore significant. The four-day clash with India had already boosted Munir's standing domestically, as it rallied support for him across Pakistan, including from opposition PTI that had earlier been critical of the military establishment
The lunch invitation also comes close on the heels of US Central Command chief General Michael Kurilla describing Pakistan as a 'phenomenal partner' in combating the Islamic State–Khorasan at a congressional hearing.
Earlier this year, Trump had singled out Pakistan for praise in his first speech to Congress in February, crediting it with the capture and extradition of Mohammad Sharifullah, one of the alleged masterminds of the Abbey Gate bombing in Kabul that killed 13 American troops.
While the US has condemned the Pahalgam terror attack, Trump has refrained from condemning Pakistan explicitly, often drawing equivalence between New Delhi and Islamabad, and describing Pakistan as having ' very strong leadership '.
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