When the dust of Operation Sindoor settled, many expected international players to claim credit—but not Shashi Tharoor. The senior Congress leader, with assured clarity, recently shut down U.S. President Donald Trump’s self-proclaimed role in brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. Tharoor pointed out that it was a call from Pakistan’s DGMO to his Indian counterpart—and India’s own military action that truly brought calm not some external mediation. 

Speaking during the launch of his book Whither India–Pakistan Relations Today? Can They Ever Be Good Neighbours?, Tharoor recounted how India’s precise and powerful strikes in early May especially on the night of May 9–10 stunned Pakistan into reaching out for peace. Even when Pakistan attempted to retaliate with missile launches over Delhi, Indian defenses intercepted them effectively. That, he insisted, led to the truce plain and simple. 

Tharoor’s message is threefold: applause India’s military resolve, clarify truth for peace, and make Pakistan accountable for regional harmony. He reiterated that any assertion of U.S. intervention, particularly by Trump, detracts from India’s own agency and its rightful ownership of the ceasefire process. 

This isn’t the first time he’s questioned Trump’s role earlier in May, Tharoor had subtly mocked the idea of third-party mediation that “neither nation requested,” further exposing scepticism toward Trump’s overtures. 

In a nutshell, Tharoor’s stance is a breath of straightforward honesty: India acted decisively, Pakistan responded, and peace followed. Outsiders take note.