WASHINGTON; US President Donald Trump revealed on Monday that he had advised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to avoid any military conflict with Pakistan, emphasizing that diplomacy and trade could resolve disputes more effectively than war.
Speaking to reporters during Diwali celebrations at the Oval Office, Trump said he had a phone conversation with Modi earlier in the day, mainly discussing trade relations between the two countries.
“We talked about a lot of things, but mostly trade,” Trump told journalists. “I told him that a war with Pakistan should not happen,” he added, stressing that “issues can be resolved through trade.”
Trump went on to claim that he had helped prevent eight potential wars through his “deals and trade diplomacy,” including one between Pakistan and India.
“During the Pakistan-India conflict, seven planes were shot down,” he said. “I called both sides and warned that if they went to war, the United States would stop trading with them. Within 24 hours, both governments responded that they didn’t want to fight.”
The former US president has often credited himself with reducing tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi, which have fought three wars since 1947 and continue to dispute the status of Kashmir.
