New Delhi, October 14, 2025: The Congress party on Tuesday criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government following US President Donald Trump’s remarks praising Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir and giving special attention to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Gaza peace summit in Egypt.

During the summit on Monday, Trump described Asim Munir as his “favourite field marshal” and asked PM Sharif, who was standing behind him, to come forward and speak in the middle of his own address. In his remarks, Sharif lauded Trump as “a man of peace” and highlighted Pakistan’s nomination of the former US president for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, citing his role in halting hostilities between India and Pakistan.

“I would say that Pakistan had nominated President Donald Trump for Nobel Peace Prize for his outstanding, extraordinary contributions, first to stop war between India and Pakistan and then achieve ceasefire along with his very wonderful team,” Sharif said.

Trump later praised PM Modi on the same stage, calling him a “very good friend of mine” and acknowledging his work:

“India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top, and he has done a fantastic job,” Trump said.

Congress Criticism

In response, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, questioned the nature of Modi’s friendship with Trump and expressed concern over the signals being sent to India. Ramesh referred to Trump’s past interactions with Munir, including a June 18, 2025, White House lunch, calling attention to Munir’s alleged “inflammatory and communally poisonous remarks” that preceded the Pahalgam terror attacks in April 2025.

“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.

He further added:

“Now in Egypt yesterday, President Trump calls Asim Munir as ‘my favourite Field Marshal’ and gives special place to the PM of Pakistan. What kind of signal is President Trump sending to India, in spite of Mr. Modi’s desperate attempts to ingratiate himself with the US President?”

India’s Position on US Mediation

India has consistently dismissed Trump’s claims of brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. At the time, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri clarified that Modi informed Trump during a phone call that the decision to halt military actions was made directly between the armies of India and Pakistan, without any US mediation.

The Congress criticism reflects concerns over India’s foreign policy optics and the perception of its relationship with the US, especially in the context of ongoing tensions with Pakistan.