Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Trump raced to claim he “brokered” the ceasefire before anyone else, blindsiding both India and Pakistan, eager to project himself as the world’s ultimate dealmaker, even as facts suggested otherwise.
As Islamabad dialed Washington instead of Beijing during the height of the crisis, Chinese officials fumed—seeing Pakistan’s outreach as a betrayal in what Beijing considers its geopolitical backyard.
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After Trump’s post, Pakistan bizarrely broke its own ceasefire hours later—sending drones into Indian airspace, a move analysts suspect was choreographed to appease an irate Beijing craving relevance.
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China rushed to issue statements framing itself as the peacemaker, releasing heavily edited accounts of Wang Yi’s talks with Ajit Doval—despite India not acknowledging such diplomatic exchanges.
Pakistani drones mysteriously halted only after Beijing’s scripted praise of Islamabad’s “restraint” went public—seen as a subtle face-saving arrangement to let China claim the ceasefire win.
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Pakistan flip-flopped on its statements, issuing one after Trump’s post and another after Beijing’s nudge, revealing its awkward dance between pleasing its ‘all-weather ally’ and the US.
Trump later boasted he used trade threats to force the ceasefire—a claim swiftly dismissed by India, which released call logs showing no trade discussions, only firm military warnings.
Amid the noise, India stuck to the bilateral script, confirming the ceasefire only after Pakistan’s DGMO formally requested it, while warning Islamabad of “resolute” responses to any more provocations.
Behind the diplomatic theater, analysts see China using the conflict as a covert trial ground—testing Pakistan’s loyalty, asserting regional muscle, and learning how its weapons perform in live battle zones.