US President Donald Trump on Wednesday once again praised both Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir, while reiterating their role in ending a four-day conflict between Pakistan and India in May.
Earlier this month, Trump thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz and COAS Munir, his “favorite,” for their efforts to bring peace to Gaza. He also called them both “great people” and offered to mediate between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Today, while speaking at a luncheon at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, being held this year in Gyeongju, South Korea, Trump spoke about both Pakistan and India, as well as the conflict between the two countries earlier this year.
“I am signing a trade agreement with India and I have great respect and love, as you know, for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We have a great relationship,” he said.
“Likewise, the prime minister of Pakistan is a great guy, and the field marshal… they have a field marshal. Do you know why he’s a field marshal? He’s a great fighter. He really is. He’s a great guy, too.
“And I know them all. And I’m reading that seven planes were shot down; they’re on it and they’re really starting to do it, and it’s a big deal. These are two nuclear nations and they’re really doing it,” Trump said.
The US president went on to say that he called Modi and said, “We can’t make a trade deal with you. ‘No, no, we have to make a trade deal.’ I said, ‘No, we can’t.’ You are starting a war with Pakistan, we will not do it.”
He added that he later had a similar conversation with Pakistan’s leaders. “I said, ‘We’re not going to trade with you because you’re fighting with India.’
“And they said, ‘No, no, no… you should let us fight.’ They both said that. You know, they’re at war. They’re strong people.”
Trump then called Modi “the most handsome guy” and proceeded to imitate the Indian leader, adding that “he’s a killer” and “very tough.”
“But after a while, and they’re good people, and after literally two days, they called and said, ‘We understand.’ And they stopped fighting. How is that? Isn’t it amazing?”
“Do you think Biden would have done that? I don’t think so,” he added. “Most people wouldn’t have thought about it.”
He said, “We’re making deals. So you add an extra sentence and say, ‘You have to stop shooting at each other.’ Seven planes were shot down… and they stopped the war.”
The president attributed the success to his aggressive approach to tariffs, saying, “I said I was going to impose 250 percent tariffs on every country, which means you’ll never do business…in 48 hours, we had no war and no people killed,” he said.
Meanwhile, the May conflict between Pakistan and India was sparked by an attack on Hindu tourists in occupied Kashmir, which New Delhi, without evidence, said was backed by Pakistan. Pakistan has denied involvement and the Ministry of External Affairs has questioned the credibility of India’s account of the events, saying it was “full of lies”.
Both sides used fighter jets, missiles, artillery and drones during the four-day conflict, killing dozens of people, before agreeing to a ceasefire. Immediately after the conflict, Pakistan said it shot down six Indian fighter jets during the conflict, including the French-made Rafale. New Delhi acknowledged “some losses” during the conflict, but denied losing six planes.
Months later, in September, Prime Minister Shehbaz – during a speech at the United Nations General Assembly – said that the Pakistan Air Force turned “seven of the Indian aircraft” into scrap and dust. Trump later also described how he pitted both nations during a conflict in which “seven planes were shot down.”
