“India-Pakistan agree to full and immediate ceasefire, announces Donald Trump” – this was the headline majorly used by Indian media on Saturday after India and Pakistan announced a ceasefire of military actions on May 10.
Taking to social media platform Truth Social founded by his company Trump Media & Technology Group, US President Donald Trump posted on May 10, “After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE. Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
But why is Trump so “pleased to announce” the news of ceasefire between India and Pakistan? Who is the President of the United States to make such a big announcement on behalf of India or Pakistan, countries which are ruled by their own governments?
Marco Rubio’s ceasefire announcement on X
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X on May 10, “Over the past 48 hours, @VP Vance and I have engaged with senior Indian and Pakistani officials, including Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, and National Security Advisors Ajit Doval and Asim Malik.
I am pleased to announce the Governments of India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site. We commend Prime Ministers Modi and Sharif on their wisdom, prudence, and statesmanship in choosing the path of peace.”
Pakistan welcomes US’ mediation, India ignores
Immediately after US President Donald Trump announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate ceasefire”, Islamabad confirmed the news, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praising Trump for his “leadership and proactive role” in helping Pakistan and India achieve peace.
Pakistani leaders like Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also heaped praise on the US for its intervention.
However, India’s tone was different. While India also confirmed the ceasefire soon after, but the Ministry of External Affairs stated that the agreement was reached directly between the two neighbouring nations. No mention was made of the US intervention.
“It was agreed between them that both sides would stop all firing and military action on land and in the air and sea with effect from 1700 hours Indian Standard Time. Instructions have been given on both sides to give effect to this understanding,” read a statement issued by India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s statement also royally ignored the US by just mentioning that “Pakistan and India have agreed to an agreement to stop firing and military action.”
India wasn’t initially very enthusiastic about the US response, according to The New York Times. US Vice President JD Vance rang up Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to consider alternatives to continued strikes. However, PM Modi did not commit to any of the ideas and he reportedly told Vance that India’s response would be “harder, deeper and bigger” to any Pakistani misadventure.
Indian officials dismiss Trump’s claim of the US being responsible for ceasefire
Indian officials have dismissed US President Donald Trump’s claims that American mediation was responsible for the recent ceasefire agreement with Pakistan, describing his remarks as “characteristic hyperbole”. Senior Indian government sources, cited by news agency PTI, made it clear that the ceasefire was the result of direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan, with no third-party involvement. “There was no need for third-party intervention,” a source, quoted by PTI, said. The source also underlined that the understanding was reached bilaterally and not through US mediation.
Social media in India also did not reflect enthusiasm among the citizens about Trump’s intervention. One user wrote, “The ceasefire is a good decision, but there was no need to involve the US as a mediator.”
US-based analyst predicts reasons behind Trump’s intervention
Analysing the possible reasons behind US mediation between India and Pakistan amid escalating tension, US-based South Asia Analyst Michael Kugelman told news agency ANI, “There are two reasons why we saw the US jump in in a way they did to push for a ceasefire. The first reason is escalation dynamics. It was a crisis that escalated very quickly, it had significant levels of military action that were used by both sides. The initial Indian air strikes in Pakistan in retaliation to the terrorist attack in Kashmir were of a greater scale than we have seen in so many years. Then Pakistan’s response and then both countries were sending drones and missiles to each other targeting military sites, is a reason why the US intervened. The second reason why the US intervened and I think this is a major reason, is the nuclear issue.”
“I think this is a consistent pattern in US policy when it comes to India-Pakistan crisis. If you look at history, you will see the US has frequently intervened in India-Pakistan military crises mainly because of concerns about nuclear risks and that I think was the case in Kargil, in 2001-02 and even during 2019. I think it was a sudden concern on the part of the US that the nuclear escalation risks in this crisis were real,” he further said.
What JD Vance said about US mediation between India and Pakistan
In an interview with Fox News last week prior to the ceasefire, the United States Vice President JD Vance had stated that although the US can’t regulate India and Pakistan, it may encourage the two neighbours who possess nuclear weapons to de-escalate. “Look, we’re concerned about any time nuclear powers collide and have a major conflict,” he said. Quoting Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vance asserted that Washington wants the conflict to “de-escalate” as soon as possible.
Did President Trump buy India’s sovereignty? He is a businessman: Shiv Sena(UBT)
The Shiv Sena(UBT) has strongly expressed displeasure over the US President Donald Trump’s ‘intervention’ in the India-Pakistan conflict and his announcement of a ceasefire. In an editorial in its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, the Shiv Sena(UBT) asked, “Who gave the President authority? Did President Trump buy India’s sovereignty? In exchange for what? Exactly, “What deal was made? The country must know.”
“The Indian Army and Air Force have foiled the drones and missiles launched by Pakistan against India. They have given a befitting reply to the Pakistanis, but while doing all this, the exact whereabouts of the six terrorists who carried out the Pahalgam attack have not been traced. The trigger for the India-Pak conflict was the killing of 26 innocent people by six terrorists. But President Trump has poured water. President Trump wants peace to prevail between India and Pakistan. He is not Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, or Nelson Mandela. He is a businessman. The ruling businessmen of India have joined hands with the businessmen of America. President Trump has not stopped the Israel-Palestine war. By directly supporting Israel, he watches the deaths of the people of Gaza and preaches peace to India,” read the editorial.
India-Pakistan issues must be resolved bilaterally, not by US mediation: CPI(M)
Meanwhile, CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby on Sunday said that third party intervention to negotiate or settle India’s matters and problems is uncalled for. Reacting to reports that US President Donald Trump had played a role in facilitating the “understanding” between India and Pakistan and his (Trump’s) ‘keenness’ to mediate on the Kashmir issue, the CPI(M) leader said, “Bilateral matters and issues must be discussed bilaterally and sorted out bilaterally, not taking the recourse to military solutions. This is our party’s long standing position and approach.”
“We would deal with the issues with the neighbours in a mutually agreeable manner to negotiate. The de-escalation issue is taking place at different levels. So the government of India has to explain why and how the US President announced first about the ceasefire between India and Pakistan,” Baby asked.
Why Trump needs both India and Pakistan?
It is to be noted here that in the recent years India has emerged as a significant partner of the US in South Asia, serving as a buffer against China’s growing power, which is a major policy concern for the Trump administration. According to Reuters, India has extended preferential business terms to the US, its biggest commercial partner, in an effort to forge a closer alliance with its ally.
While Trump needs India as a buffer against China, similarly, the US needs to maintain its age-old friendship with Pakistan in order to keep India “under control”. Also by announcing the ceasefire arrangement between two nations run by their respective governments, is Trump trying two showcase himself as a supreme power which rules the world?
