US President Donald Trump has once again credited the United States for averting the likely nuclear war between Pakistan and India, following the recent escalation.
The military escalation peaked between India and Pakistan when New Delhi accused Islamabad of perpetrating the armed attack on the tourists in Pahalgam, IIOJK. The attack killed 26 Indian tourists, leaving India in fury. Pakistan repeatedly denied the accusations and instead called for a joint investigation into the incident. However, calls within India to attack Pakistan intensified.
On the night of the 6th and 7th, India hit 26 sites in Pakistan in Punjab and Kashmir, which left several Pakistani civilians injured and martyred. The dogfight ended up with Pakistan downing five Indian jets. On the night of 9th and 10th May, India attacked three crucial air bases in Pakistan, including the Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi.
Following this, Pakistan initiated Operation Banyan-un-Marsoos. Pakistan claimed to hit only those air bases and military installations that were used in attacking Pakistan. The spokesperson of the Pakistan military claimed that, being a responsible nuclear-armed state, these counter-attacks were a part of establishing Pakistan’s deterrence against India as a calculated move to control the further escalation with India. Unlike India, Pakistan did not attack Indian civilians.
Drone attacks on several cities in Pakistan followed the next day. After intercepting drones sent by India and tit-for-tat strikes on each other’s airbases, it took American intervention for both sides to finally drop their guns.
“The situation had escalated to the point where nuclear war could have broken out,” Trump said in an interview with US outlet Fox News on Friday.
Regarding the question of convincing both countries to step away from nuclear war, Trump said,
“bigger success than I will ever be given credit for”.
“Those are major nuclear powers […] and they were angry. […] It was tit-for-tat, it was getting deeper and more missiles,” he said. He added the next step would have been “the N-word”, responding in the affirmative to the host confirming he meant “nuclear”.
“That’s the worst thing that can happen,” Trump noted. Referring to discussions he said he had with both Pakistan and India on trade, the US president said: “I’m using trade to settle scores and make peace.”
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Trump said that he had great conversations with Pakistan. “You know we can’t forget them because it takes two to tango.”
“So proud of what we’re able to do with India and with Pakistan,” the US president said. He reiterated to increase trade with Pakistan. He continued that Pakistan would love to trade with the US. “They are brilliant people. They make amazing products. We don’t do much trading with them.”
Regarding India, Trump said, India is ready to cut 100% tariffs on US products. Earlier this week, President Trump said, “We’re going to do a lot of trade with Pakistan … and India,” Trump said earlier this week, recalling that he warned both countries of “not doing any trade” if they did not stop fighting. A day after the ceasefire, he said he was going “to increase trade substantially with both of these great nations”.