Modi disputes Trump's version of India-Pakistan ceasefire
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi disputed President Donald Trump's claims that trade deals were used to clinch a recent ceasefire with Pakistan, the latest sign of possible strain in the relationship between New Delhi and Washington.
Modi held a 35-minute call with Trump on Tuesday night in the U.S. after the two leaders failed to meet in person at the Group of Seven meeting in Canada, India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said in a video statement. It was their first conversation since the four-day military strikes between India and Pakistan last month that brought the two neighbors close to war. Trump has consistently said the U.S. helped broker a ceasefire and that he used trade deals as a negotiating tool, comments that Indian officials have disputed.
Modi clarified India's position to Trump during the leaders' call, Misri said Wednesday.
"PM Modi clearly told President Trump that during this entire incident, at no time, at any level, were there any talks on issues like India-U.S. trade deal or mediation between India and Pakistan through America," he said. "PM Modi stressed that India has never accepted mediation, does not accept it, and will never accept it."
The Indian leader's forthright comments come amid growing frustration in New Delhi over Trump's repeated claims of defusing tensions between the nuclear-armed South Asian rivals. Modi's rebuttal coincides with a tougher Indian stance in trade talks with the U.S., though analysts say the sharper tone is unlikely to affect negotiations or long-term ties with Washington.
"By outlining the events and India's position, Prime Minister Modi was setting the record straight with President Trump," Harsh Vardhan Shringla, former Indian foreign secretary and envoy to the U.S. said. "The India-U.S. relationship is very comprehensive and will continue to grow."
Still, the underlying discontent in New Delhi over what it sees as Trump's attempts to place India and Pakistan on equal footing - and undermine its long-standing foreign policy - is far from resolved. Modi echoed that frustration in a speech at the G-7 summit on Tuesday, where he criticized inconsistent global standards on terrorism, without naming any country specifically.
"On the one hand, we are quick to impose various sanctions based on our own preferences and interests," he said during a session held after Trump had left Canada. "On the other hand, nations that openly support terrorism continue to be rewarded. I have some serious questions for those present in this room."
New Delhi has said it won't hold talks with Pakistan unless that country takes action to prevent terrorist attacks. The recent military conflict between the two countries was triggered by an April 22 deadly attack on mainly Indian tourists in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir. India called it a terrorist attack and blamed Pakistan, accusations that Islamabad have denied.
In contrast to India, Pakistan has credited Trump's role in helping negotiate a peace deal and is open to mediation. In an unusual move, Trump is expected to meet with Pakistan's army chief, Asim Munir, at the White House on Wednesday.
Modi's remarks during the phone call may also have been intended to clear up some of the domestic confusion. "The PM needed to clarify this because the confusion that was caused by President Trump," said Indrani Bagchi, chief executive officer at Ananta Centre, a Delhi-based think tank. "It was good that the prime minister made that clear to President Trump at his level."
India's opposition groups said additional measures may be needed to address the diplomatic fallout from Trump's version of the truce. Modi remained "silent" for too long, and the U.S. president's assertions went unchallenged, Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh told ANI on Wednesday. He asked the prime minister to "say the same things that you have supposedly told President Trump on the phone" at a special session of the parliament.
Trump asked Modi to visit him in the U.S. following his trip to Canada, but "due to prior engagements, Prime Minister Modi expressed his inability to do so," said Misri. Modi has a scheduled stop in Croatia for a state visit before he returns to India from the G-7.
Misri said Trump accepted Modi's invitation to visit India for the annual Quad meet scheduled for later in the year.
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