On Wednesday (May 28, 2025), the Congress party urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence regarding repeated claims by the Trump administration about how the India-Pakistan “ceasefire” was achieved. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh questioned whether the Prime Minister would clarify reports that U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Luttnick had submitted a statement to the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York on May 23, 2025, asserting that President Trump used his tariff powers to broker a “tenuous ceasefire” and bring about a “fragile peace” between India and Pakistan.

The government has yet to respond but maintains that the India-Pakistan agreement to cease hostilities resulted from direct bilateral negotiations.

Ramesh noted on X that Luttnick’s claims follow similar assertions made by President Trump, who mentioned this role eight times in 11 days across three countries. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also echoed these claims, referring to a “neutral site” for talks between the two nations.

He urged the Prime Minister to “break your silence.”

President Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for helping resolve tensions between India and Pakistan. The conflict escalated after India launched precision strikes under Operation Sindoor on May 7 against terror infrastructure, responding to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26. Pakistan retaliated with attacks on Indian military bases on May 8, 9, and 10, prompting India to launch a strong counter-attack on several Pakistani installations.

After four days of intense drone and missile strikes, India and Pakistan agreed on May 10 to end the military confrontation. On the same day, Trump claimed that India and Pakistan had reached a full and immediate ceasefire following talks “mediated” by the United States.