NEW DELHI: (Oct 14) The Congress on Tuesday attacked the government over US President Donald Trump’s praise for Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, saying what kind of signal is the American leader sending to India, despite PM Narendra Modi’s “desperate attempts” to ingratiate himself with him.
What sort of friendship is this between Trump and Modi, the opposition party asked, citing instances of Trump’s praise for Munir and past meetings between the two.
Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said Prime Minister Modi keeps calling President Trump his good friend, and to be fair, the American leader also keeps calling Modi his good friend.
“But what sort of friendship is this? President 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 said on X.
Then President Trump met with the Field Marshal a second time in the White House on September 26, 2025, when the Field Marshal presented President Trump with a box of rare earths, he said.
“Now in Egypt yesterday, President Trump called Asim Munir as ‘my favourite Field Marshal’ and gave special place to the PM of Pakistan. What kind of signal is President Trump sending to India, despite Mr. Modi’s desperate attempts to ingratiate himself with the US President?” Ramesh said.
What sort of friendship is this, Ramesh asked.
Noting that Trump has called Munir his ‘favourite’, Congress MP Manickam Tagore said the same Munir has overseen terror plots and cross-border attacks against India.
“Under Modi’s watch, the world is not standing with India, it’s now praising those who target India. This is not diplomacy — this is disaster. For years, Modi claimed ‘India has never been stronger globally’. Yet today, even leaders like Trump are openly glorifying those responsible for terror against our nation — without a single word of protest from Modi,” the Congress MP said.
“Where is the 56-inch diplomacy now? Where is the ‘strong leader’ who said he would isolate Pakistan internationally? When India’s enemies are being endorsed and our PM remains silent, it’s clear — Modi’s foreign policy has collapsed. Loud on propaganda, mute on national pride,” he said.
India deserves leadership that earns respect through principles, not photo-ops, Tagore said.
“Foreign policy isn’t about hugs — it’s about standing firm for the nation’s dignity,” he said.
Praising Sharif and Munir, Trump invited the Pakistan prime minister to address the summit of world leaders in Egypt after a ceasefire reached in Gaza ending the Israel-Hamas war.
Trump called Munir, who was not present, as “my favourite Field Marshal from Pakistan”.
Trump on Monday also praised India and Prime Minister Modi without naming him, saying India is a great country with a good friend of mine at the top.
Trump, addressing a summit of world leaders at this Egyptian city after a ceasefire reached in Gaza ending the Israel-Hamas war, said from the podium that he thinks India and Pakistan will live very nicely together.
“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 Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who was standing behind him, as he responded with a chuckle.
In his remarks, Sharif said he would like to nominate Trump again for the Nobel Peace Prize for saving millions of lives not only in South Asia but also in the Middle East.
After missing out on the Nobel Peace Prize, Trump has claimed to have resolved eight wars, including the one between India and Pakistan, saying he did not do this for the Nobel.
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 India and Pakistan.
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 militaries.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians.
India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.
