Pakistan marks US Independence Day by hailing Trump’s India ceasefire role

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday hailed a strong partnership between Islamabad and Washington as a contributor to regional peace and security in a message marking US Independence Day, crediting US President Donald Trump with helping broker last year’s ceasefire between India and Pakistan and backing Islamabad’s diplomatic role in negotiations with Iran.

In a letter on the 250th anniversary of the United States’ Declaration of Independence, Zardari described ties between the two countries as being on an “ascendant trajectory” and called for closer cooperation in areas including energy, trade, investment, defense and counterterrorism.

“Underscoring that a strong Pakistan-US partnership directly contributes to regional peace and security, the President noted that its inherent value was validated last year in May, when President Trump led the successful brokering of a ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed states,” the President’s Office said in a statement outlining the contents of Zardari’s letter to Trump.

“He further added that, with an evolving global landscape, this partnership strengthens, expressing appreciation for the trust and confidence placed by the US in Pakistan’s mediatory role for negotiations with Iran,” it added.
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India and Pakistan fought a brief but intense conflict in May 2025 after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, an allegation Pakistan denied. The fighting, which involved fighter jets, drones, missiles and artillery exchanges between the nuclear-armed neighbors, ended after Trump announced a ceasefire on May 10.

Pakistan acknowledged the US diplomatic role in securing the truce and later nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. India, however, rejected the characterization of the ceasefire as US-mediated, maintaining that the cessation of hostilities had been worked out directly between the Indian and Pakistani militaries through existing military channels.

The letter also highlighted Pakistan’s role in facilitating negotiations between the US and Iran that culminated last month in the signing of the interim Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, which provides a 60-day framework for the two countries to negotiate a permanent settlement following weeks of regional tensions.

Zardari said dialogue, diplomacy and de-escalation remained the only path to a sustainable resolution of regional disputes.

The president also told Trump that the people of Pakistan would be honored to host him in Islamabad “at his earliest convenience.”