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After Sharif's big ‘war’ claim, Trump has a ‘beautiful’ response, but with a ‘good friend’ nod to Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was invited to the Egypt summit but chose to depute the MoS for Foreign Affairs, welcomed the Gaza ceasefire, praised Trump
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gave US President Donald Trump all the credit he's been seeking for “stopping a war” with India as he spoke on stage at the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit for Gaza in Egypt on Monday, October 13.
Sharif, invited to address the global leaders' gathering by Trump, stressed that Pakistan sought the Nobel Peace Prize for him “for his outstanding, extraordinary contributions… to stop the war between India and Pakistan and then achieve a ceasefire along with his very wonderful team”.
The Pakistan leader repeated the Nobel demand for “this great President” and “genuinely a man of peace” — now, of course, for the 2026 prize — and thanked him for achieving a truce in Gaza too.
Trump returned to the dais and called Sharif's words “beautiful", joking that there wasn't anything left to say: “Let's go home!”
He later referred apparently to PM Modi to say: “India is a great country with a good friend of mine at the top. He’s done a fantastic job."
“I think Pakistan and India are going to live very nicely together; right?” he added, exchanging smiles with Sharif. “Great leaders!” he said.
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It was yet another loaded moment of bonhomie between the American and Pakistani leaders, coming just hours after Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, from the main opposition party in India, suggested that the Modi government missed a chance by sending only a minister for the summit.
Trump and the truce claim: Quick recap
- Trump's much-repeated ceasefire claim and its buttressing by Pakistan — from a prominent global stage — comes when India has not played along with the claim.
- Trump says he forced the two countries into a truce by threatening them with tariffs, when Delhi carried out Operation Sindoor in May against Pak terror bases after an attack in Kashmir.
- He repeated his claim probably a 50th time when on his way to the Middle East for the summit earlier on Monday too.
As the main force behind the Gaza peace plan, Trump co-hosted the summit with Egypt's Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. It was attended by leaders of at least 20 other countries. Earlier in the day, Trump addressed the Israeli Parliament, where he praised PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who also said Trump should get the Nobel prize.
What Modi said on Trump and Gaza peace push
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was invited to the Egypt summit but chose to depute MoS for Foreign Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, welcomed the Gaza ceasefire in a post on X.
“We welcome the release of all hostages after over two years of captivity. Their freedom stands as a tribute to the courage of their families, the unwavering peace efforts of President Trump and the strong resolve of Prime Minister Netanyahu. We support President Trump’s sincere efforts to bring peace to the region,” he posted.
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Should Modi have gone to Egypt? Tharoor wondered aloud
Congress MP and former global diplomat Shashi Tharoor, however, asked in a post on X earlier on Monday: “Strategic restraint or missed opportunity?”
He argued that “given the galaxy of grandees present, India’s choice could be seen as signalling a preference for strategic distance, which our statements don't convey”. For reasons of protocol access alone, India's voice may carry less weight than it could have, Tharoor further said in the X post.
“In a region reshaping itself, our relative absence is puzzling,” he said.
Also read | PM Modi, Pak's Shehbaz Sharif in same frame, several spots apart at SCO summit in China
On the invitee/attendee list were Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar's Emir, who coordinated with Trump to initiate the peace process. Mahmoud Abbas Abbas, leader of the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority, attended too, but Netanyahu chose to give it a miss.
Other world leaders at the summit included France's Emmanuel Macron, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, UK's Keir Starmer, Spain's Pedro Sanchez, and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, besides European Council President Antonio Costa, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, among others.
The Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit was held just after ceasefire came into effect in Gaza. A prisoner-hostage swap was done earlier in the day. Gazans have started returning to the remains of their war-torn homes. At least 67,000 Palestinians were killed in Israeli action in Gaza since October 7, 2023, when a Hamas attack in Israel killed around 1,200 people.
Sharif praises, Modi gets praise, yet tariff stalemate
For Shehbaz Sharif, this was the second meeting with Trump in just about a month after they met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City in September. Pak Army chief Asim Munir was with him then — whom Trump on Monday called his “favourite Field Marshal”.
India was represented at the UNGA by its foreign minister S Jaishankar, who slammed Pakistan in his speech for its support to terrorism.
Trump has consistently received paeans from Pakistan, whose leaders have backed his ceasefire claim and the desire for a Nobel prize.
Towards India, he has been “mercurial” (again in Tharoor's words) even as Modi remains measured in his approach.
Trade deal talks recently resumed between India and the US after Trump's massive 50% tariffs derailed the ties. He has spoken to Modi over the phone at least twice recently — praised him as a “great” and “personal” friend too — but not budged on the tariffs, yet.
