"Trump has put India and Pakistan in same basket": Congress leader Shama Mohamed
New Delhi [India], June 1 (ANI) : Congress leader Shama Mohamed on Sunday sharply criticized former US President Donald Trump for allegedly equating India and Pakistan in the context of terrorism. Mohamed accused Trump of placing both countries 'in the same basket,' despite Pakistan's role as a perpetrator of terrorism and India being its victim.
The Congress leader's remarks were made amidst India sending out all-party delegations to various countries as part of its diplomatic outreach against Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.
Speaking to ANI, Mohamed said, 'Trump has repeatedly said... 11 times now...that has brought in the ceasefire. The Trump administration clearly said that we have imposed a trade embargo on Pakistan and India to get the ceasefire. Trump has put India and Pakistan in the same basket. They are the perpetrators of terrorism, while we are their victims. After 26/11, the whole world was with us, now who is with us? Why is Pakistan getting deals and MoUs?... Why is everybody with Pakistan and not with India?...'
Trump has repeatedly claimed the US brokered the ceasefire and on Friday said that he had told India and Pakistan that the US can't trade with nations that shoot at each other.
India has categorically denied any links between trade and tariffs and the recent ceasefire discussion with Pakistan. It also denied US role in the ceasefire understanding.
On Saturday, Congress leader Pawan Khera sought clarification from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over US President Donald Trump's recent statement, in which he claimed that trade diplomacy helped de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
'Prime Minister Modi is going around the country, doing a fancy dress competition. He hasn't brought up Donald Trump even once,' Khera told ANI.
He insisted that only the Prime Minister could provide clarity on the matter, saying, 'Now, only our Prime Minister can respond for Donald Trump, you and I certainly cannot. What is this pressure to respond, what is this fear about?'
He added, 'We are repeatedly asking: Did you make a deal over Sindoor (Operation Sindoor) out of fear of losing trade? That has been our question from day one.'
US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) had again claimed credit for brokering a cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan, asserting that his administration's trade negotiations potentially averted a nuclear war between the two nations.
During an interaction with reporters, Trump expressed pride in achieving peace through trade rather than military conflict, reigniting debates over the US role in the recent India-Pakistan ceasefire following the escalation of tension after the Pahalgam Terror Attack and India's subsequent reply through Operation Sindoor.
The cessation of hostilities between the two nations came on May 10 after India's 'Operation Sindoor', launched in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 tourists, including a Nepali national.
The operation targeted nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), leading to intense clashes, including Pakistan's attempted drone attacks on Indian cities along the International Border and Line of Control (LoC) and shelling along the LoC.
Before India could officially announce any understanding of cessation of hostilities with Pakistan, US President Donald Trump announced the 'full and immediate ceasefire', claiming that the US played a key role as mediator.
However, India refuted the claims made by the US President, reiterating its policy that India and Pakistan bilaterally address any matter related to the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The MEA further stated that the 'issue of trade' did not come up between Indian and US leaders since the commencement of 'Operation Sindoor' and the cessation of hostilities.'
'From the time Operation Sindoor commenced on May 7 till the time of cessation on May 10, there was conversation between India and the US. But the issue of tariffs never came up in these discussions,' External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday in his media briefing. (ANI)
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