Ex-Foreign Secy Singes Trump for ‘Muddying India-US Relations’
Image credit X.com
India-Pakistan Ceasefire Stirs Controversy, Experts Warn of Geopolitical Fallout
By TRH News Desk
NEW DELHI, May 11, 2025 – A US-brokered ceasefire, as claimed by Donald Trump, between India and Pakistan sparked sharp criticism from geopolitical experts. India’s former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal hit out at the US for “muddying the growing India-US relations”.
Geopolitical experts warned that the move risks reviving India-Pakistan hyphenation and sidelining Pakistan’s role in cross-border terrorism.
The ceasefire, which followed India’s Operation Sindoor—a three-day military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack—has drawn international attention to the Kashmir dispute, overshadowing the issue of terrorism, according to analysts.
Sibal, in a scathing post on X, criticized the US for “muddying” India-US ties by publicly claiming credit for mediating the ceasefire. “The only issue is terrorism, but Pakistan will claim it is lily white. India has no interest in broad dialogue with Pakistan,” Sibal wrote.
He accused the US of equating India and Pakistan and ignoring Pakistan’s role in terrorism, despite numerous Pakistani organizations and individuals being designated as international terrorists by the UN.
“The US hasn’t considered India’s national revulsion against the horrific Pahalgam jihadi attack,” he added.
Geopolitical expert Brahma Chellaney echoed these concerns, arguing that the “abrupt end to Operation Sindoor under US pressure” has shifted global focus to Kashmir rather than Pakistan’s cross-border terrorism. “By agreeing to abort Operation Sindoor after just three days, India is drawing international attention to the Kashmir dispute, not Pakistan’s terrorism that triggered the crisis,” Chellaney posted on X.
He criticized US President Donald Trump for “playing into Pakistan’s hands” by proposing to mediate a Kashmir solution without addressing terrorism. “An inconclusive Operation Sindoor is reviving India-Pakistan hyphenation, creating a false equivalency between the victim and the perpetrator,” he warned.
Geostrategic commentator Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, highlighted potential challenges in sustaining the ceasefire. “The ceasefire was cobbled together hastily, at a moment when tensions were at their highest. India appears to have interpreted the deal differently than the US and Pakistan, and it’s likely not keen on the broader talks it calls for,” Kugelman wrote on X. He suggested that differing expectations could undermine the agreement’s longevity.
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in a brief press meet said that the “ceasefire followed a call from Pakistan’s DGMO to India’s DGMO at 3:35 PM IST, proposing the truce, which India accepted”. Trump announced the ceasefire on X at 5:25 PM, followed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who revealed plans for India-Pakistan talks at a “neutral site.” India’s Foreign Secretary, however, made no mention of US mediation or the proposed talks in a 6:00 PM statement, prompting speculation about New Delhi’s stance.
Opposition leaders have seized on the developments, demanding a special Parliament session to discuss the Pahalgam attack, Operation Sindoor, and the ceasefire. Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating, “The nation deserves clarity on these critical developments, first announced from Washington, DC.” Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition, added, “I reiterate the unanimous request of the Opposition to convene a special session immediately.”
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