SOUTH KOREA: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday once again lauded Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, praising their roles in ending the four-day conflict between India and Pakistan earlier this year.
Speaking at a luncheon during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, Trump recalled how tensions had escalated dangerously between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in May. “I’m doing a trade deal with India and I have great respect for Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said. “Likewise, the prime minister of Pakistan is a great guy, and the Field Marshal — he’s a great fighter. He really is.”
Trump described the moment when seven planes were reportedly shot down amid intense fighting. “These are two nuclear nations and they’re really going at it,” he said, recounting that he called both Modi and Shehbaz to urge restraint. “I told Modi, ‘We can’t make a trade deal with you while you’re starting a war with Pakistan.’ I said the same to Pakistan — no trade if you keep fighting.”
According to Trump, both leaders initially insisted on continuing hostilities. “They said, ‘You should let us fight,’” he added with a chuckle. “But within two days, they called back and said, ‘We understand,’ and the fighting stopped.”
Trump attributed the ceasefire to his firm stance and threat of economic retaliation. “I said I’d put 250 per cent tariffs on both countries — and within 48 hours, no war, no people killed,” he claimed.
The May clashes were triggered by an attack on Hindu pilgrims in occupied Kashmir, which India blamed on Pakistan — an allegation Islamabad strongly denied. The conflict saw the use of jets, drones, and artillery before both sides agreed to a ceasefire.
Later, PM Shehbaz told the UN that Pakistan’s air force had downed seven Indian jets — a claim echoed by Trump, who said his intervention “stopped the war and saved lives.”
