New Delhi: In a swipe at the Modi government over the new US National Security Strategy, the Congress on Saturday said it marks a notable shift in the American approach to Pakistan, and avoids the explicit criticism that defined the 2017 Donald Trump-era strategy document, which openly accused Islamabad of supporting militants targeting US partners.
The opposition party also pointed out that the document reiterates US President Donald Trump’s claim that he settled the “raging conflict” between India and Pakistan.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications, Jairam Ramesh, said the 33-page National Security Strategy has just been released by the White House.
“In his introduction to the document, President Trump reiterates his claim that he ‘settled the raging conflict between India and Pakistan’. The same claim is repeated on Page 8,” Ramesh said.
The 2025 National Security Strategy also marks a notable shift in the US approach to Pakistan, he claimed.
“It avoids the explicit criticism that defined the 2017 Trump-era strategy document, which openly accused Pakistan of supporting militants targeting US partners, demanded stronger counterterrorism action, and pressed Islamabad to demonstrate responsible management of its nuclear arsenal. The new strategy omits any such references,” Ramesh said.
“Kya se kya ho gaya, bewafa teri dosti mein’,” he added in Hindi, taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a play on the hit number with similar lyrics from the Dev Anand-starrer film ‘Guide’ (1965).
The Congress general secretary also shared screenshots of the document where reference is made to Trump’s claims on stopping the India-Pakistan conflict in May.
Ramesh also shared the White House website link to the document.
The National Security Strategy released by the Trump administration late Thursday stressed on strong cooperation with India to address the security challenge in the South China Sea.
The Trump administration has said that the US must continue to improve commercial and other relations with India to encourage New Delhi to contribute to Indo-Pacific security, including through continued cooperation within the Quad grouping.
The document also mentions the eight wars that Trump claims he has resolved, including the May conflict between India and Pakistan.
“President Trump has cemented his legacy as The President of Peace. In addition to the remarkable success achieved during his first term with the historic Abraham Accords, President Trump has leveraged his dealmaking ability to secure unprecedented peace in eight conflicts throughout the world over the course of just eight months of his second term.
“He negotiated peace between Cambodia and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, the DRC and Rwanda, Pakistan and India, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and ended the war in Gaza with all living hostages returned to their families,” the document said.
Earlier this week, the Congress took a swipe at Modi over Trump’s repeated claims that he brokered peace between India and Pakistan, saying “no wonder the Modi-Trump huglomacy is in deep freeze”.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that within the first eight-nine months of his second term in the White House, he resolved conflicts between India and Pakistan, Thailand and Cambodia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Kosovo and Serbia, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Rwanda and Congo.
He also credits himself for resolving the Israel-Hamas conflict.
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 over 60 times that he helped settle the tensions between the two neighbours.
New Delhi has consistently denied any third-party intervention.
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.
