When a man known for bluster meets a leader who embodies resolve, truth is the first casualty in the propaganda war. That is precisely what unfolded in the geopolitical theatre this week when Prime Minister Narendra Modi firmly rebutted US President Donald Trump’s delusional claims of having brokered a “ceasefire” between India and Pakistan.
Let’s call this what it is—fiction wrapped in bravado, sold as diplomacy.
During a 35-minute telephonic conversation, Modi categorically told Trump that India has never accepted mediation, does not, and will never do so, especially when it comes to national security and cross-border terrorism originating from Pakistan. That is not diplomacy. That’s sovereignty.
This conversation lays bare the hollow claims of a man who has, since May 10, paraded around the world stage asserting that he was the reason hostilities ceased between two nuclear neighbours. He even boasted that his threat to suspend trade with both countries played a decisive role. While that may be a great script for a Netflix geopolitical drama, in the real world of hard statecraft, it’s nothing short of a dangerous lie.
Let’s rewind to the context.
On April 22, terrorists infiltrated Indian territory and executed a brutal attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, killing 26 innocent civilians—mothers, children, elders—people who were simply living their lives before being massacred by Pakistan-backed jihadis.
India did not wait for condolences from global powers. Instead, on May 7, we launched Operation Sindoor, a precision military offensive aimed at dismantling terrorist infrastructure inside Pakistan-occupied territories. It was a clear and direct message: If you send terror our way, we will bring justice to your doorstep.
For four days, from May 7 to 10, Indian and Pakistani forces clashed across the LoC. It was not a war, but it was a deliberate Indian retaliation to a terror strike. And while the two armies engaged in strategic communication through backchannels to prevent escalation into full-scale war, there was zero role played by the United States. None. Zilch.
Yet, on May 10, President Trump’s administration released a self-congratulatory readout stating that the US had brokered a ceasefire. Not only was it a misrepresentation, it was also an opportunistic attempt to insert American influence into a conflict it neither understood nor contributed to resolving.
This week, for the first time, Prime Minister Modi broke his silence on the matter. And true to form, he did not mince his words.
Let us be blunt. This was not a conflict between two quarrelling children on a playground. This was a sovereign nation defending its people from state-sponsored terrorism. To suggest that external powers stepped in to play referee is both patronising and false.
India has always maintained—and rightly so—that the issue of Jammu & Kashmir is bilateral, and no third party has any locus standi. This is not a new policy; it is enshrined in the Shimla Agreement of 1972 and the Lahore Declaration of 1999. Trump may be unfamiliar with subcontinental history, but India’s position has been unchanging and clear.
Now here’s the question that must be asked: Why did Trump fabricate a role in the ceasefire?
The answer is simple Trump wanted to paint himself as a global peacemaker. What’s worse is that this self-promotion came at the cost of undermining India’s sovereign decisions. It attempted to blur the lines between counter-terrorism and diplomacy, between military resolve and mediation. Modi rightly refused to play along.
More than that, Modi’s message was symbolic. It told the world: India is not a banana republic. We don’t outsource our security. We don’t allow foreign hands to dictate terms when the blood of our people is spilled. And we don’t allow falsehoods to go unchallenged.
In an era of social media noise and geopolitical gaslighting, it is critical that nations speak up for truth. The US President’s statement was not just a diplomatic misstep—it was an affront to India’s military, its victims of terror, and the very idea of self-determined justice.
To Trump’s disappointment, Modi is no pushover. This is a leader who doesn’t bow to pressure, who doesn’t trade truth for diplomacy, and who certainly doesn’t allow anyone to rewrite India’s history—least of all a man obsessed with headlines.
In fact, Modi’s silence until now was strategic. He allowed the bluster to blow itself out. But when it crossed a line—when fiction masqueraded as fact on a sensitive military issue—he responded with facts, calm and clarity.
It’s also important to appreciate the timing. With the global order in flux and the Indo-Pacific emerging as the new axis of strategic power, Modi’s India is asserting itself as an equal, not a client state. By rejecting Trump’s claim publicly, he drew a red line—not just for the US, but for any nation that believes it can manipulate or misrepresent India’s national interest for its own agenda.
Let’s be clear: India’s relationship with the United States remains robust. There is strategic convergence, economic cooperation, and democratic camaraderie. But friendship does not mean silence in the face of deceit. Modi, as a statesman, has mastered the balance between partnership and principled opposition.
This episode should serve as a warning to any global leader: If you try to hijack India’s narrative, expect to be called out. Loudly. Decisively.
And as for Trump, perhaps he should learn that in matters involving India and Pakistan, he is not the protagonist. He is, at best, a spectator. And sometimes, even spectators are asked to leave the stadium. And he should remember that while Pakistan might bow their heads in abeyance to him, India will not.
India has moved on from being a nation that seeks validation from Western powers. Under Modi, it is a nation that defines its own terms and writes its own story. Trump’s fabricated “ceasefire diplomacy” was just another attempt to steal a line in a script already being written—in Devanagari, not in Washington.
Let the record reflect: The ceasefire was not a gift from the United States. It was the result of India’s military will and Pakistan’s fear of escalation. And the truth, however inconvenient for Donald Trump, is that Modi doesn’t need a mediator. He needs results.
And that is exactly what Operation Sindoor delivered. Both Trump and Pakistan must accept that Operation Sindoor has only been suspended. It is not over yet.
