Congress slams Modi as Trump calls Pak army chief his ‘favourite field marshal’

The Congress on Tuesday (October 14) slammed the BJP government over US President Donald Trump's praise for Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, questioning what kind of signal was Trump sending to India despite the PM's "desperate attempts" to curry favour with him.

The opposition party raised doubts about the nature of the friendship between Trump and Modi, citing instances of Trump's repeated praise for Munir and past meetings between the two.

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Congress takes dig at PM Modi

In an X post, senior Congress leader and the party's General Secretary in charge of Communications, Jairam Ramesh, questioned the equation between the American leader and the Indian prime minister despite both describing each other as "very good friends". His remarks come at a time when the American leader appears to be balancing ties with both Indian and Pakistan.

Ramesh highlighted several incidents when Trump met the Pakistan Army chief, whose remarks were allegedly linked to the Pahalgam attack in April.

Ramesh said on X, "But what sort of friendship is this? Trump hosted Field Marshal Asim Munir to an unprecedented lunch in the White House on June 18, 2025. This was the Field Marshal whose inflammatory and communally poisonous remarks provided the backdrop to the Pahalgam terror attacks, orchestrated by Pakistan on April 22, 2025."

Ramesh further noted the second meeting between Trump and Munir at the White House, on October 1, when the latter presented the former with a box of rare earths.

"Now in Egypt yesterday, Trump called Munir his favourite Field Marshal and gave a special place to the Pakistan PM. What kind of signal is Trump sending to India, despite Mr Modi's desperate attempts to ingratiate himself with the US President?" Ramesh wondered.

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'My favourite Field Marshal from Pakistan'

At a summit of world leaders in Egypt, held after a ceasefire reached in Gaza ending the Israel-Hamas war, Trump praised both Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Munir. Trump had invited Sharif to address the summit. Although Munir was not present at the summit, Trump affectionately called him his "favourite Field Marshal from Pakistan". From the podium, he believed that "India and Pakistan will live nicely together".

It is worth noting that Trump, on October 13, also praised India and Modi without naming him.

"India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top and he's just done a fantastic job. I think Pakistan and India are going to live very nicely together," Trump said while looking at Sharif who was standing behind him, as he responded with a chuckle.

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'I would nominate Trump for Nobel Prize'

In his speech, Sharif said he would like to nominate Trump again for the Nobel Peace Prize, crediting him for saving millions of lives not only in South Asia but also in the Middle East.

Trump, who has repeatedly claimed to have resolved multiple global conflicts, said he had settled eight wars, including the one between India and Pakistan, but did not do it for the Nobel Prize.

Since May 10, when Trump announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire after a long night of talks mediated by Washington, he has repeated his claim dozens of times that he helped settle the conflict between the neighbouring countries.

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India denies US mediation

However, India has consistently maintained that the understanding on cessation of hostilities with Pakistan was reached following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two armies.

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians. Both countries reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.