Congress MP Shashi Tharoor reacted to the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Pakistani General Asim Munir and reminded that perhaps the latter received ‘food for thought’ during his interaction with the American leader.
Tharoor, a diplomat-turned-politician, told the media: “I haven’t seen the outcome of the meeting.”
“According to the White House, this general had said that the President should get the Nobel Peace Prize, and then he was rewarded with a lunch. I hope the food was good and he has also got some food for thought in the process,” he said.
Reminding the US about Osama Bin Laden, the former Al Qaeda chief, who was behind the 9/11 terror attack in 2001, Tharoor said, “It is our hope that everyone in the US government has not forgotten the Osama bin Laden episode.”
Trump hosted a lunch for Munir on Wednesday, weeks after India and Pakistan were engaged in a military conflict following a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam town.
Indian PM Narendra Modi held a 35-minute telephone conversation with Trump, in which he stressed that India has never asked for, and will never accept, third-party mediation to resolve the issue of Pakistan’s illegal occupation of parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Modi spoke with Trump over Operation Sindoor, which was launched by India on terror hubs in Pakistan and PoK last month, days after a terror attack in the Pahalgam region of Jammu and Kashmir left 26 people dead.
Speaking on the conversation between the two leaders, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said: “PM Modi stressed that India never accepted mediation nor does it accept it now, nor will it ever do that. On this issue, there is full political unanimity.”
Donald Trump had often mentioned the role he played in mediating between India and Pakistan to reach a ceasefire last month. India has continuously rejected the claim.
“PM Modi told President Trump clearly that during this entire series of incidents, never were talks held at any level on India-America trade deal and mediation between India and Pakistan by America,” Misri said sharing details about the conversation.
“The talks regarding cessation of military action were held directly between India and Pakistan under the existing channels established between both militaries; it was done at Pakistan’s request,” he said.
The timing of the telephone conversation assumes significance since it occurred just hours before Trump is scheduled to meet with the Pakistani Army Chief at the White House.
