Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said that had it not been for US President Donald Trump, the India-Pakistan conflict could have escalated to a level that nobody “would have lived to tell”, suggesting the possibility of a nuclear war.
Invited to speak by Trump at the Gaza Peace Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Sharif made the most of the opportunity and spoke for over five minutes. He was the only head of government apart from Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi to get a chance to speak.
Showering praises on Trump, Sharif said: “Suffice it to say, had it not been for this gentleman… who knows India and Pakistan are both nuclear powers. Had he not intervened along with his wonderful team during those four days, the war could have escalated to a level... who would have lived to tell what happened.”
Calling Trump a “man of peace”, the Pakistani premier had earlier in his speech said: “Pakistan had nominated President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his outstanding, extraordinary contributions to first stop the war between India and Pakistan, and then achieve a ceasefire along with his very wonderful team. Today, again I would like to nominate this great President for the Nobel Peace Prize because I genuinely feel that he is the most genuine and most wonderful candidate for the prize….”
At Sharm El-Sheikh, India was represented by minister of state for external affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh. Sissi had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but India decided to send Singh instead. Indications are that India wants to resolve the tariff issue before a Trump-Modi meeting.
Referring to India, Trump said: “India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top. He’s just done a fantastic job… I think that Pakistan and India are gonna live very nicely together… right,” he said, turning to Sharif for a confirmation.
Spotting a reluctant smile on Sharif, Trump said: “That’s not very nice”, and went on to add: “They are two great leaders as far as I am concerned.”
After the meeting, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted: “India welcomes the signing of the landmark Peace Agreement and hopes that this will lead to lasting peace in the region. This is a reflection of India’s longstanding commitment to dialogue & diplomacy.”