Pakistan politicians praise US President Trump, want him to facilitate dialogue with India

Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari have both praised US President Donald Trump for his role in what they described as “de-escalating the tension” during the recent military confrontation with India.

The leaders also talked about renewed bilateral ties with the US and urged Washington to facilitate a comprehensive dialogue between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, India and Pakistan.

India has denied that President Trump played any role in the agreement to stop on-ground hostilities after the military conflict with Pakistan in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that saw 26 people dead and consistently rejects third-party mediation on bilateral issues.

Prime Minister Sharif was speaking at an event at the US Embassy in Islamabad while Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was speaking with US-based Pakistani journalists in Washington on Wednesday.

Dawn reported that PM Shehbaz claimed that the recent four-day conflict had revealed the “Pahalgam incident was a false-flag operation”, and credited President Trump for playing a decisive role in ensuring a ceasefire.

Sharif said that the US president had shown beyond any doubt that “he is a man for peace… and beneficial business deals”.

“President Trump is a man against escalation and a man against cold and hot war,” he added.

“Our offer for an impartial international probe into the Pahalgam incident was met with aggression instead,” he claimed and added, India “should have come out with solid evidence and convinced the world about the incident.” Offering his greetings on the independence day anniversary to the US, Sharif said, the bilateral ties between the US and Pakistan are “entering into renewed friendship, and the close contacts are being revived.” Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, with India carrying out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7.

The intense on-ground hostilities from both sides for four days ended with an understanding of stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10.

Dawn also reported that the former foreign minister Bilawal, who is leading a Pakistani delegation that began a three-day visit to Washington on Wednesday, said President Trump “deserves credit” for helping facilitate the ceasefire between Pakistan and India last month.

“We should also pay attention to what the US president is saying. On 10 different occasions, he has taken credit for facilitating the ceasefire between India and Pakistan — and rightly so. He deserves that credit, because it was his efforts that helped make the ceasefire possible,” he said.

“So, if the US is willing to help Pakistan in maintaining this ceasefire, it is reasonable to expect that an American role in arranging a comprehensive dialogue would also be beneficial for us,” Bilawal added.

Speaking about a larger role for Trump in South Asia, he acknowledged, “Yes, America has an establishment, a thought pattern. But knowing the ground realities, we are not delusional.

“We know what the realities of this city (Washington) are, what its geopolitics are, but we are here because we believe that our message is the message of truth. It aligns with international laws and relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” he said.

The former foreign minister's comments also targeted what he described as a failed US strategy of building up India as a regional security anchor.

Referring to New Delhi, he said India has long pitched itself as a “net security provider” in the Indo-Pacific region — a concept US policymakers have also endorsed. “The concept of India as a counterweight to China now seems hollow. It’s not even a paperweight anymore. This approach, I believe, must now be re-evaluated,” the former foreign minister said.

“What can really provide security to this region, and to the rest of the world, is peace between India and Pakistan.”