US administration tells NY court India-Pak reached ‘tenuous ceasefire’ after Trump ‘interceded’

NEW YORK: The Trump administration has told a New York court that India and Pakistan reached a “tenuous ceasefire” only after President Donald Trump “interceded and offered both nations trading access with the US to avert a full-scale war.”

Indian government sources have maintained that the two countries reached an understanding without any third-party involvement.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick made the remarks in a submission to the Court of International Trade last week, arguing that Trump used his emergency powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs aimed at protecting US national security and economy. Lutnick said that the maintenance of tariffs is crucial to the president’s ability to conduct real-world diplomacy. PTI