In a surprising move, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif seems to support the United States’ assertion that Washington played a role in brokering a ceasefire with India during Operation Sindoor. This is according to an official government readout detailing Sharif’s meeting with Donald Trump at the Oval Office. During the meeting, Sharif lauded Trump’s leadership, implying the former U.S. President’s involvement in the ceasefire.
Trump has previously claimed to have mediated peace between India and Pakistan, though these claims have been repeatedly refuted by New Delhi. India has consistently maintained that the ceasefire agreement with Pakistan, following Operation Sindoor, was reached without any external involvement. Operation Sindoor was India’s response to the Pahalgam terror attack in April, which resulted in 26 fatalities.
Moreover, during parliamentary discussions regarding Operation Sindoor, EAM Jaishankar clarified that there were no communications between PM Modi and Trump between April 22 and June 17 (the date of the ceasefire announcement), thereby dismissing the possibility of third-party intervention.
The official statement from the meeting between Sharif and Trump stated: “Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir met with U.S. President Donald J. Trump at the Oval Office today. The Prime Minister lauded President Trump’s “bold, courageous and decisive leadership” for facilitating the Pakistan-India ceasefire and praised his initiative to invite key Muslim world leaders in efforts to bring an immediate end to the conflict in Gaza and restore peace in the Middle East.”
This indicates that the Pakistani PM praised Trump’s role in the India-Pakistan ceasefire. “The leaders discussed enhancing the bilateral partnership, with the Prime Minister inviting U.S. investment in Pakistan’s key sectors and stressing the need to further enhance security and intelligence cooperation,” the statement added.
Sharif also extended an invitation for Trump to visit Pakistan at his convenience.