Trump Takes Credit for Everything: Ex-US NSA On India-Pakistan Ceasefire Claim
Former US NSA also raised concern over China’s growing influence inside Pakistan, saying it posed a bigger threat to India’s western front. He referred to the use of Chinese military aircraft by Pakistan in response to India’s actions.
Washington: Former United States National Security Advisor John Bolton on Wednesday criticised US President Donald Trump for claiming credit for brokering the India-Pakistan ceasefire deal, calling Trump’s habit of taking credit for everything “irritating,” though he clarified it had nothing to do with India.
He said, "This is Donald Trump, who takes credit for everything. I think he did have a call with Prime Minister Modi, and Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were also on the call."
He further said, "It's typical of Trump because he would jump in before everyone else could take credit. It may be irritating, probably is irritating to many people, but it's nothing against India, it's just Trump being Trump."
Former US NSA also backed India’s right to act in self-defence following the deadly April 22 terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which left 26 people dead.
"India was certainly entitled to act in self-defence against locations inside Pakistan where the terrorist attack was planned and carried out from. It is a significant issue when a country cannot control that kind of terrorist activity going on in its territory or, indeed, maybe contributing to it,” Bolton told ANI.
He added, “India's action was entirely justifiable, but it does raise questions about whether there is any possibility of persuading the Pakistani government that this is ultimately not in their interest and can lead to much worse consequences for them if they don't get it under control."
China-Pakistan Links Raise Alarm
The former NSA also raised concern over China’s growing influence inside Pakistan, saying it posed a bigger threat to India’s western front. He referred to the use of Chinese military aircraft by Pakistan in response to India’s actions.
"The fact that Chinese military planes supplied to Pakistan were prominent in Pakistan's response signifies the growing Chinese influence inside Pakistan, which increases the threat to India, certainly in its western flank," he said.
Escalation Worse than 2019: Bolton
Bolton also compared the recent escalation with the events following the 2019 Pulwama attack, stating that the response this time was on a much larger scale.
"This is a long-standing issue, but the escalation, the military response, and the back and forth between India and Pakistan before the ceasefire was agreed to were a cut above what happened in 2019, when there was a similar terrorist attack in Kashmir," he said.
India’s Operation Sindoor
In response to the Pahalgam attack, India launched 'Operation Sindoor' on May 7, targeting terrorist camps and infrastructure inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). The offensive resulted in the elimination of over 100 terrorists affiliated with groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.
Following India’s strikes, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling and attempted drone attacks. India responded with a coordinated military action, damaging radar systems, communication centres and airfields across 11 Pakistani airbases.
A ceasefire understanding was reached between India and Pakistan on May 10.
(Inputs from ANI)
Published By : Aditi Pandey
Published On: 22 May 2025 at 15:01 IST