After claiming multiple times that he “brokered” a successful ceasefire between India and Pakistan in May, US President Donald Trump on Friday (July 18) said that five fighter jets were shot down during the conflict. Notably, Trump did not mention which of the two countries lost the jets during the confrontation.

Soon after Trump’s unclear statement, the Congress party surrounded PM Narendra Modi for providing clarity on the topic. Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday asked Modi to issue a clarification and said that the country has the right to know the truth. Questioning the PM’s “silence”, Congress also demanded that Modi give a “clear and categorical” statement in Parliament on the US leader’s claims on the India-Pakistan conflict over the last 70 days.

Trump was speaking at the White House during a dinner hosted for Republican senators on Friday, when he said, “You had India, Pakistan, that was going…in fact, planes were being shot out of the air…four or five. But I think five jets were shot down actually…that was getting worse and worse, wasn’t it? That was looking like it was going to go…these are two serious nuclear countries, and they were hitting each other.”

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“But India and Pakistan were going at it, and they were back and forth, and it was getting bigger and bigger. And we got it solved through trade. We said ‘You guys want to make a trade deal. We’re not making a trade deal if you’re going to be throwing around weapons and maybe nuclear weapons. Both very powerful nuclear states,” Trump further said.

‘Trump missile gets fired’

Congress general secretary in-charge (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said just two days before the Monsoon Session of Parliament begins, “the Trump missile gets fired” for the 24th time with the same two messages. He pointed out that Trump has again stated that the US stopped the war between India and Pakistan, two countries that have nuclear weapons.

“The sensational new revelation by President Trump this time around is that five jets may have been downed,” Ramesh wrote, adding, “The prime minister, who has had years of friendship and huglomacy with President Trump going back to ‘Howdy Modi’ in September 2019 and ‘Namaste Trump’ in February 2020, has to now himself make a clear and categorical statement in Parliament on what President Trump has been claiming over the past 70 days.”

Senior party leader P Chidambaram posted on X, “After President Trump’s latest statement, what does the government of India have to say? Silence is no answer.”

“I would like to believe the government of India, but if the government does not state the truth — actually does not say anything at all on the outcomes of the 5-day war…,” he wrote.

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The Congress’ whip in the Lok Sabha, Manicakam Tagore, also attacked the government over Trump’s remarks. “Trump boasts about preventing a nuclear conflict using ‘trade pressure’. Pakistan applauds him. They’ve even proposed a Nobel Prize. So what really happened? And why is Modi in Maun Viraat mode?” he said on X.

“If 5 fighter jets were really shot down, as Trump says, the nation deserves to know: Who authorised retaliation? What role did the U.S. play? Did India cave to foreign pressure?” the Congress leader said.

India has maintained its stance on ceasefire claims

India has consistently maintained that the understanding on cessation of hostilities was the result of direct communication between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both countries, initiated at Pakistan’s request.

During a phone conversation with Trump last month, which lasted nearly 35 minutes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated that India has never accepted and will never accept third-party mediation. He emphasised that the talks between the Indian and Pakistani militaries regarding the halt in hostilities were triggered by Islamabad.

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On May 7, India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation of the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 civilian lives.

After four days of intense cross-border drone and missile exchanges, India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to cease hostilities.

(With inputs from agencies)