New Delhi [India], May 28 : The Congress Party has renewed its demand for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to publicly clarify reports of US involvement in brokering the recent ceasefire between India and Pakistan, following the escalation after the Pahalgam terror attack.
Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh took to social media platform X to question the veracity of claims made by US Commerce Secretary Howard Luttnick in a sworn statement to a New York court. Luttnick stated that US President Donald Trump leveraged his tariff power to bring about a “tenuous ceasefire” and a “fragile peace” between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
“The Prime Minister should let the country know whether it is true that US Commerce Secretary Howard Luttnick filed a statement in the New York-based US Court of International Trade on May 23, 2025, swearing that President Trump used his tariff power to broker a ‘tenuous ceasefire’ between India and Pakistan and bring about a ‘fragile peace’?” Ramesh posted.
He added that Luttnick’s comments mirror those of President Trump, who reportedly made the claim eight times over 11 days across three countries, and echoed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who mentioned a neutral site for India-Pakistan talks.
“Pradhan Mantri Chuppi Todo (Prime Minister, break your silence),” Ramesh urged.
The ceasefire came in the wake of India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’, a military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which targeted nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The operation triggered intense military exchanges, including drone attacks and shelling along the LoC and International Border.
President Trump prematurely announced the ceasefire via Truth Social, stating:
“After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE. Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence.”
However, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) refuted US mediation claims, reiterating that all matters related to Jammu and Kashmir are to be addressed bilaterally between India and Pakistan.
“That stated policy has not changed… the outstanding matter is the vacation of illegally occupied Indian Territory by Pakistan,” the MEA said.
The ministry also clarified that while India and US leaders did communicate during Operation Sindoor, the topic of trade never surfaced during those conversations.
“From May 7 to May 10, while military operations and discussions were ongoing, trade issues were not part of any diplomatic exchanges,” the MEA confirmed.
The Congress Party’s demand underscores increasing political pressure on the Modi government to clarify India’s official stance in light of repeated assertions from US officials.