PM Modi's Diwali call with Trump carries strong message on Pakistan, terror

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Diwali phone call with Donald Trump was not merely about exchanging festive greetings — it carried a pointed reminder for the US President as well. In their second phone call in as many months, PM Modi used the occasion to underscore India's firm stance against terrorism, subtly flagging New Delhi's discomfort with Washington's growing proximity to Pakistan, a state-sponsor of terror.

"Thank you, President Trump, for your phone call and warm Diwali greetings. On this festival of lights, may our two great democracies continue to illuminate the world with hope and stand united against terrorism in all its forms," PM Modi tweeted.

It is the second half of the Prime Minister's post that carried an unmistakable subtext — on standing "united against terrorism" in all its forms.

India has long maintained Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism and accused it of providing a safe haven to terrorists.

BEHIND PM MODI'S MESSAGE TO TRUMP

PM Modi's subtle but strong message to Trump comes amid a startling shift in US-Pakistan relations after years of strategic distance under previous administrations. That how Pakistan has managed to do it, by massaging Trump's ego and by doing his bidding, is a different matter. We will come to that later.

The concern for India is the fact that the Trump administration has sought to bring back the old policy of hyphenating India and Pakistan, much to New Delhi's dismay. It featured again during Trump's interaction with the media at the White House during Diwali celebrations.

While speaking about his call with Modi, whom the President called a "great person" and a "great friend", Trump said they discussed regional peace and talked about "let's have no war with Pakistan".

"Although we did talk a little while ago about let's have no wars with Pakistan. The fact that trade was involved, I was able to talk about that... And we have no war with Pakistan and India. That was a very, very good thing," Trump said.

India has not revealed if any such talks happened. PM Modi's post was also silent on this aspect. Trump's habit of shooting off the cuff is well known, and India is well aware of how Trump is prone to hyperbole.

Against this backdrop, PM Modi's message to Trump was a timely reminder that India would not back down if provoked by Pakistan, and it expects its allies to take a strong stance against terrorism.

In fact, the last few months have seen a drastic change in ties between Pakistan and the US.

From signing cryptocurrency deals to crediting Trump for ending the hostilities with India and proposing his name for the Nobel Peace Prize, the Shehbaz Sharif-led government has been in overdrive to curry favour with the US President.

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