Congress presses PM Modi on US claims in Indo-Pak ceasefire

The Congress on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his "silence" on the Trump administration's repeated claims on how the India-Pakistan "ceasefire" was brought about.

Congress general secretary in-charge Jairam Ramesh said, "The Prime Minister should let the country know whether it is true that the US Commerce Secretary Howard Luttnick filed a statement in the New York-based US Court of International Trade on May 23rd, 2025 swearing that President Trump used his tariff power to broker a 'tenuous ceasefire' between India and Pakistan and bring about a 'fragile peace'?" There was no immediate reaction from the government on it but it has maintained that India-Pakistan understanding on cessation of hostilities was arrived at following direct negotiations between the two sides.

In a post on X, Ramesh further said, "Mr. Luttnick follows in the footsteps of President Trump himself who made this assertion 8 times in 11 days in 3 different countries. The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has echoed the same and also mentioned a 'neutral site' for talks between India and Pakistan".

"Pradhan Mantri Chuppi Todo (Break your silence, Prime Minister)," he added.

The US President has been repeatedly claiming that he helped settle the tensions between India and Pakistan.

India carried out precision strikes under Operation Sindoor on terror infrastructure early on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. Following the Indian action, Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10. The Indian forces launched a fierce counter-attack on several Pakistani military installations.

India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the military confrontation after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.

On May 10, US President Donald Trump had claimed that India and Pakistan agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire after a long night of talks "mediated" by Washington.