Trump changes claim on India-Pakistan conflict again; now, says ‘8 planes shot down’

Detailing the “ending of the conflict between India and Pakistan”, the US president claimed that he was in the middle of signing a trade deal with New Delhi and Islamabad when he heard that both the neighbouring countries “were going to war” and it was then that he decided his administration would not make any deal with either country “if they are at war”.

“I was in the midst of a trade deal with both of them. Then I read on the front page of a certain newspaper… they are going to war. Seven or eight planes were shot down. Eight planes were shot down essentially,” Trump said during the business forum. This figure is different from what he claimed earlier. He had first claimed that three jets had been shot down. Then in July he increased the number to 5 jets. In August this year, he further increased the number to seven. And now, the “number of jets shot down during the India-Pakistan war” stands at 8 for Trump.

The US president claimed that after he threatened to decline trade deals with India and Pakistan, “I got a call, they need peace. They stopped. I said thank you, let’s trade. Isn’t that great?” Trump has repeatedly claimed in the past that his administration was responsible for securing a “full and immediate” ceasefire between India and Pakistan.

However, India has rejected US President Trump’s claims of ending its conflict with Pakistan, stating that the decision to de-escalate tensions with Islamabad was taken through a direct diplomatic effort between the two countries, and that there was no third-party involvement for any kind of mediation.