The Congress party has sharply criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration in light of recent events at a Gaza peace summit in Egypt. This criticism stems from US President Donald Trump’s decision to publicly praise Pakistan’s Army Chief, Asim Munir, and to accord special recognition to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Jairam Ramesh, the Congress general secretary overseeing communications, took to X (formerly Twitter) to question the message President Trump was sending to India. He highlighted the ongoing friendly exchanges between Modi and Trump, while pointing out Trump’s actions in Egypt. Ramesh recalled Trump’s previous meeting with Munir and alleged that the Pakistani Army Chief’s remarks were linked to terror attacks in Pahalgam. Ramesh specifically asked about the signal Trump was sending to India, despite Modi’s efforts to cultivate a close relationship with the US President.
At the summit, Trump referred to Asim Munir as his “favorite field marshal” and invited Sharif to speak prominently during his own address. In response, Sharif lauded Trump as a “man of peace” and mentioned Pakistan’s nomination of Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. Sharif attributed this nomination to Trump’s alleged role in de-escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Trump also referred to Prime Minister Modi as a “very good friend of mine” during the event, stating that India is a great country with a strong leader. However, India has previously dismissed Trump’s claims about mediating ceasefires with Pakistan, with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stating that the de-escalation was a result of direct talks between the two nations’ armies, not US mediation.