A recent development sees Pakistan seemingly supporting the U.S. narrative that Washington helped secure a ceasefire with India during Operation Sindoor. This comes after a meeting between Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and former U.S. President Donald Trump at the Oval Office, as detailed in a government readout. Sharif’s comments, praising Trump, appear to acknowledge the former U.S. President’s influence in the ceasefire.
Trump has often claimed to have mediated peace or a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. However, India has continuously rejected these claims, insisting that no third party was involved in the ceasefire deal with Pakistan after Operation Sindoor. This operation was India’s response to the April Pahalgam terror attack, which resulted in 26 deaths.
During a parliamentary discussion regarding Operation Sindoor, EAM Jaishankar stated that there were no calls between PM Modi and Trump between April 22 and June 17, the date the ceasefire was announced, eliminating any suggestion of third-party intervention in the agreement.
The readout from the Sharif-Trump meeting stated: “Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir met with U.S. President Donald J. Trump at the Oval Office today. The Prime Minister lauded President Trump’s “bold, courageous and decisive leadership” for facilitating the Pakistan-India ceasefire and praised his initiative to invite key Muslim world leaders in efforts to bring an immediate end to the conflict in Gaza and restore peace in the Middle East.”
This suggests Sharif’s recognition of Trump’s role in the India-Pakistan ceasefire. The statement also noted that “The leaders discussed enhancing the bilateral partnership, with the Prime Minister inviting U.S. investment in Pakistan’s key sectors and stressing the need to further enhance security and intelligence cooperation.”
Additionally, Sharif extended an invitation for Trump to visit Pakistan.