After phone call, Trump reiterates role in India-Pak ceasefire

New York/Washington, Jun 18: Hours after holding a phone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump Wednesday repeated his claim that he stopped a war between India and Pakistan. In comments to reporters, Trump described PM Modi as ìa fantastic manî and asserted that the two countries will have a trade deal.

ìWell, I stopped the warÖ. I love Pakistan. I think Modi is a fantastic man. I spoke to him last night. Weíre going to make a trade deal with Modi of India. But I stopped the war between Pakistan and India,î Trump said Wednesday.

Trump, who is hosting Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir for lunch at the White House Wednesday, was asked what he is looking forward to achieving diplomatically from the meeting with the Pakistani general.

ìThis man was extremely influential in stopping it from the Pakistan side,î Trump said, referring to Munir.

ìModi, from the India side, and others. They were going at it, and they are both nuclear countries. I got it stopped. I donít think I had one story. Did I have one story writtenÖ I stopped the war between two major nations, major nuclear nations. I donít think I had a story written about it,î he said, adding that the people know.

On May 10, Trump claimed on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a ìfull and immediateî ceasefire after a ìlong nightî of talks mediated by Washington.

He has repeated the claim over a dozen times that he ìhelped settleî the tensions between India and Pakistan.

Trump said that he told the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours that America will do a ìlot of tradeî with them if they stopped the conflict.