Now, Trump claims ‘8 planes shot down’ in India-Pak clash

US President Donald Trump has this time claimed that “eight planes were shot down” during the India-Pakistan skirmish in May and that he personally intervened to broker peace between the two nuclear-armed neighbours by threatening to halt trade talks.

Speaking at a business event in Miami, Trump recounted the events, saying he was in the middle of a trade deal with both countries when he read that “they were going to war”.

“Seven planes were shot down, and the eighth was badly wounded -- eight planes essentially. I said, this is war, and they are going at it. They are two nuclear nations. I said, ‘I’m not going to make any trade deals with you guys unless you agree to peace',” Trump said.

He claimed that both Delhi and Islamabad initially objected to his stance, insisting their conflict had “nothing to do with trade”.

“I said, ‘It has everything to do. You are nuclear powers. I’m not trading with you if you’re at war.’ The next day I got a call that they had made peace. I said, ‘Thank you. Let’s do trade,’” Trump added, boasting that his tough approach “without tariffs” had ended hostilities.

Trump has repeatedly taken credit for mediating peace between India and Pakistan since the brief but tense military standoff, though New Delhi has consistently denied any foreign involvement in the ceasefire process.

India maintains that the cessation of hostilities followed a formal request from Islamabad and was entirely bilateral. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, addressing Parliament during the monsoon session earlier this year, dismissed Trump’s earlier claims as completely unfounded. “India’s decisions are sovereign and guided solely by national interest,” Jaishankar had clarified.

Meanwhile, the opposition Congress took a swipe at both Trump’s remarks and the Indian government’s silence over his repeated assertions.

“What unites Washington DC, Riyadh, Doha, London, The Hague, Sharm-al-Sheikh, Tokyo, the US President’s Air Force One, and now Miami? These are all places where President Trump has claimed he used trade and tariffs to stop Operation Sindoor. This makes it the 58th time since May 10 when Trump has taken credit for ending the operation,” party spokesperson Jairam Ramesh quipped.