Rama Krishna Sangem
US president Donald Trump on October 29, Wednesday, repeated claims of having prevented ‘war’ between India and Pakistan in May by threatening to impose an impossible 250 per cent tariff on both countries. At the same time, Trump hinted at a trade deal with India soon. That’s some good news to India.
The United States President has repeatedly tried to claim credit for the May 10 ceasefire after Operation Sindoor – India’s armed response to the Pak-backed Pahalgam terror attack – despite Delhi clearly stating military action was halted only after a direct request from Islamabad.
Those claims have revolved around threatening to withhold trade deals with the US and imposing massive tariffs, a tactic that has underpinned American foreign policy in his second term, starting with menacing Colombia with a 50 per cent tax to force it to accept planeloads of deported immigrants.
“If you look at India and Pakistan … they were going at it,” Trump said in South Korea, the last stop on his Asia tour, “Seven planes were shot down. They were really starting to go.”
Trump said he then spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan’s leaders to warn them about the tariffs. “I said I was going to put 250 per cent on each country… which means they will never do business. That was a nice way of saying ‘we don’t want to do business with you’.”
Trump declared the PM and Pak leaders initially refused to play ball. “They both said, ‘no, no, no, you should let us fight’. But after two days they said, ‘we understand’ and stopped fighting.” Neither India nor Pakistan have responded to this latest statement. Trump then praised PM Modi, calling him ‘the nicest-looking guy… but tough as hell’.
Says there will be deal with India soon
“… if you look at India and Pakistan, so I’m doing a trade deal with India and have great respect and love for Prime Minister Narendra Modi… we have a great relationship,” he declared. The US has hit India with a tariff of 50 per cent.
Half of that is Trump’s ‘reciprocal’ levy, i.e., for what he thinks is an unequal balance of trade between the two countries. The other is a ‘penalty’ tax for Delhi continuing to buy discounted crude oil from Moscow. These purchases, Trump has ranted, have helped fund Russia’s war on Ukraine.
That 50 per cent could come down to 15 per cent if the long-delayed trade deal is signed. Delhi and Washington are negotiating a deal expected to boost exchanges to over $500 billion by 2030, but it is far from being complete, with US demands of access to India’s dairy and agriculture markets a sticking point. But India has made it clear the deal has no connection to Op Sindoor or the ceasefire.