US Official Silences Reporter Who Accused India Of Blocking Ceasefire

A journalist was silenced by a United States official when he sought to ask whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi had opposed de-escalation talks between Delhi and Islamabad. At a US State Department briefing on Tuesday, the reporter projected President Donald Trump as a peace messiah who had brokered the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, and claimed the so-called efforts were not welcomed by India.

"Pakistan welcomed President Trump's efforts for bringing the ceasefire between Pakistan and India, and they believe that President Trump could win a Nobel Peace Prize if he were to bring peace between Pakistan and India on the Kashmir issue. But Prime Minister Modi did not welcome this effort... Does that disappoint this building at all, the attitude of Narendra Modi of not welcoming this peace deal," the reporter asked US Department of State Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott.

Without taking the bait, the US official ignored his insinuations and said America is focused on the ceasefire. "That is what we are happy to see. That's where our focus remains. And we want to see a ceasefire be maintained, and we want to encourage direct communication. That is our focus here. Our focus is the ceasefire," Mr Pigott said. He said India and Pakistan should maintain direct communication and urged the two nuclear-powered neighbours to choose the path of peace.

While Trump had been claiming that his administration brokered the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, New Delhi has maintained that the Pakistani Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) called his Indian counterpart and requested an immediate truce as Pakistan was desperate following India's strikes.

On Nobel Prize For Trump

On Pakistan believing that Trump could win a Nobel Peace Prize for efforts to solve the long-standing dispute with India, Pigott said the US President is a " peacemaker."

"He's a peacemaker. He values peace. He's also a dealmaker, and he has shown that again and again and again in terms of both pursuing an America First agenda but also pursuing peace and wanting to see peace and conflicts come to an end," he said.

The journalist did not stop there and asked if Trump had a problem with India using Israeli-made drones in Operation Sindoor. He mentioned that while Trump wants to bring Jews, Muslims, and Christians together through the Abraham Accords, the use of Israeli drones could "complicate relations between Pakistan and Israel."

The US official again reiterated that Washington's focus is only on "ceasefire" and "direct communication between the parties", and he insisted Trump was only interested in solving conflicts around the world.

Pakistan has been employing misinformation, half-truths and outright lies to sow discord in India, paint itself in a flattering light and try and gain the world's sympathy.

It tried to create an issue over India's use of Israeli drones during "Operation Sindoor, even as Islamabad reportedly utilised Chinese-made PL-15 missiles, Turkish-made Byker Yiha and Asisguard Songar drones, and long-range rockets to target India. Additionally, Pakistan also deployed China's J-10C fighter jets during the conflict.