Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif parrots Trump’s claim of ending India-Pak war

New York: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif claimed that US President Donald Trump made “sincere efforts” to end the India-Pakistan war. Sharif described Trump as a "man of peace" for ending conflicts around the globe and lauded his “courageous and decisive" leadership in facilitating a ceasefire between Pakistan and India, PTI reported, citing an official statement from the office of Sharif.

According to the statement from the PM Office, Shehbaz "appreciated President Trump's bold, courageous and decisive leadership that had facilitated the ceasefire between Pakistan and India, thereby helping to avert a major catastrophe in South Asia."

Since May 10, when Trump announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a "full and immediate" ceasefire after a "long night" of talks mediated by Washington, he has repeated his claim nearly 50 times that he “helped settle” the tensions between India and Pakistan.

India has been consistently maintaining that the understanding on cessation of hostilities with Pakistan was reached following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations of the two militaries.

In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs said it took note of the meeting on Friday. New Delhi also asserted that there is no scope for any third-party involvement in its discussions with Pakistan on issues such as terrorism, as it believes they must remain bilateral.

Since President Trump took office in January for a second term, there has been a dramatic and unexpected shift in the Pakistan-US relationship. In June, Trump held a rare one-on-one meeting with Army chief Munir at the White House.

Trump's predecessor, President Joe Biden, had completely ignored Pakistan during his tenure and never even talked to any of the prime ministers on the phone, let alone inviting them to the White House.