US President Donald Trump has once again asserted that his direct intervention with India and Pakistan averted a potential nuclear conflict during the 2023 Operation Sindoor, a four-day military standoff following a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India. Trump claimed that Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told him privately that 35 million people would have died if he had not intervened.

Trump’s Claim of Stopping a Potential Nuclear War

During his first State of the Union address of his second term, Trump highlighted what he described as foreign policy successes from his first presidential term. He stated, ‘In my first 10 months, I ended eight wars… Pakistan and India would have had a nuclear war. 35 million people, said the Prime Minister of Pakistan, would have died if it were not for my involvement,’ Trump said.

India has categorically denied that Trump played any role in de-escalating the conflict. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar previously dismissed the idea that the US was involved, stating, ‘The US was in the United States.’ Indian officials have consistently maintained that the ceasefire was achieved through direct military negotiations between the two nations.

India-Pakistan Ceasefire Through Direct Negotiations

According to Indian accounts, the conflict subsided after Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations contacted India’s Director General of Military Operations via the hotline. This direct appeal led to India halting its military operations, which Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri described as a ‘ceasefire understanding’ reached between the two sides.

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2023, in response to a terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22 that killed 26 tourists. New Delhi blamed the attack on militant groups operating from Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The operation targeted what India called terror infrastructure across the Line of Control.

Pakistan’s Recognition of Trump’s Role and New Questions

Pakistan had previously nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, crediting him for halting Operation Sindoor. Pakistani authorities praised Trump’s ‘diplomatic intervention,’ which they claimed helped prevent a full-scale war. However, Trump’s recent addition of the 35 million casualty figure has raised new questions in Islamabad.

Trump’s statement has created fresh discomfort in Pakistan, where the government had previously embraced his narrative. While the new casualty figure has not been independently verified, it has intensified the debate over the role of the United States in the crisis.

Despite the conflicting narratives, all three nations—New Delhi, Islamabad, and Washington—agree that the Pahalgam attack and the retaliatory strikes that followed pushed India and Pakistan into another dangerous confrontation. The incident has underscored the fragile nature of the India-Pakistan relationship and the complex role of external actors in regional tensions.

Analysts have pointed out that Trump’s repeated claims about his role in the conflict may complicate future diplomatic efforts between India and Pakistan. The U.S. has historically played a role in mediating South Asian disputes, but the current stance of both India and Pakistan appears to be more aligned with direct bilateral negotiations.

The situation remains a focal point for regional security, with implications for nuclear non-proliferation and regional stability. The potential for escalation between two nuclear-armed neighbors continues to be a concern for global security experts.