Despite Modi’s public embrace of Trump as a “true friend,” the former U.S. president’s silence on Kashmir terrorism exposes the limits of American loyalty.
BY Navin Upadhyay
The brutal militant attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, has once again ripped open an old wound in South Asia’s geopolitics — and, just as tellingly, exposed a familiar pattern of American duplicity. As India mourns its dead and grapples with the consequences of cross-border terrorism, the so-called friends in Washington, led President Donald Trump, have chosen silence disguised as “neutrality.”
In comments that have since sparked outrage among many in India, Trump remarked, “India and Pakistan have been fighting for a long time — I’d say about 100 years. And I have good relationships with both. So hopefully we’ll be able to do something.”
The words were as revealing as they were disappointing. Trump not only whitewashed the role of militant groups operating from Pakistani soil but also sent a loud, chilling message to India: when push comes to shove, even “good friends” will revert to cold calculations.
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A Friend Betrayed: The “Howdy Modi” Illusion
The betrayal stings all the more when set against the backdrop of the much-publicized “Howdy Modi” rally in Houston in 2019, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi had famously declared Trump a “true friend” of India and a “friend of the world.” Before a roaring crowd of more than 50,000 Indian-Americans, Modi and Trump walked hand-in-hand, projecting an image of an unbreakable Indo-American partnership rooted in mutual respect, shared democratic values, and a common fight against terrorism.
But as history has of
BREAKING NEWS
Narendra Modi’s Fraand Donald Trump refuses to condemn Pakistan, he says
“I’m close to India but also I am very close to Pakistan.It’s border tension India & Pakistan will figure out a way to sort it out.
Donald Trump is Sanghis & Andh Bhakts American… pic.twitter.com/kygOxrNMd6
— Ravinder Kapur. (@RavinderKapur2) April 26, 2025
ten shown, American foreign policy rarely matches its grand declarations. Beneath the optics of camaraderie, realpolitik rules supreme. Strategic convenience, not moral consistency, remains America’s guiding star — and Trump’s response to the Pahalgam attack was a glaring confirmation of that reality.
America’s Long History of Double Standards on Kashmir
This is not the first time the United States has demonstrated selective blindness when it comes to Kashmir. For decades during the Cold War, Washington propped up Pakistan militarily and diplomatically, even as Islamabad openly supported insurgents and militants operating in Kashmir. Despite claiming to champion democracy and human rights globally, successive American administrations turned a blind eye to Pakistan’s state-sponsored terrorism when it suited their larger strategic interests — whether it was countering Soviet influence in Afghanistan or maintaining influence in the Islamic world.
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Even after the 9/11 attacks, when Pakistan’s duplicity in harboring terror groups became an open secret, the U.S. continued to label Islamabad as a “major non-NATO ally.” Billions in military aid continued to flow, some of it ending up in the hands of groups that targeted Indian civilians and security forces in Kashmir.
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The US has no position on Kashmir @statedeptspox @HeyTammyBruce condemns the killings in Pahalgam and says the US is closely monitoring the situation. I reminded her that @realDonaldTrump @POTUS offered to mediate on J&K #PahalgamTerroristAttack #Pahalgam #pahalgamattack pic.twitter.com/3SHmgTKmTL
— Jahanzaib Ali (@JazzyARY) April 24, 2025
Trump, despite his “America First” rhetoric and tough talk on terrorism, largely continued this tradition. His administration slashed some aid to Pakistan, but never went far enough to hold Pakistan fully accountable for its support to terror outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. And now, with his recent remarks, Trump has once again blurred the lines between victim and aggressor, occupier and defender, terrorist and citizen.
The Moral Abdication: Equating Victims and Perpetrators
By urging “restraint on all sides,” Trump dangerously equated India — a sovereign democracy defending its citizens — with militant organizations responsible for bloodshed and instability. In doing so, he undermined the basic tenet of international law: the right of a nation to defend itself against terrorism.
This false equivalence does not just insult the memory of the victims of Pahalgam. It emboldens the forces of terror by sending the message that their violence will be met not with condemnation but with diplomatic evasiveness.
Why the Stakes Are Higher Than Ever
Today, the stakes are higher than ever. Kashmir remains a flashpoint between two nuclear-armed nations. The rise of radicalization, combined with Pakistan’s internal instability, makes it a breeding ground for future conflict. For India, international support — particularly from major powers like the United States — is not just a matter of prestige but of national security.
And yet, at a critical moment, a leader who was once hailed as a close friend chose ambiguity over assurance, calculations over convictions.
Rethinking India’s Faith in Washington
Trump’s neutrality forces a hard question onto the Indian strategic community: Can India truly trust American friendship when it matters most?
While Indo-U.S. ties have certainly deepened over the past two decades — encompassing defense cooperation, trade, and technology — moments like these remind New Delhi that American support is often transactional, conditional, and, above all, temporary. Friendships based on photo-ops and stadium rallies may not survive the harsher winds of real geopolitics.
Going forward, India must chart a path that secures its interests independently, relying less on rhetorical promises and more on building genuine, dependable partnerships — whether with the Quad, Europe, or others willing to recognize and confront the realities of terror and aggression.
Trump’s neutrality on Kashmir is not merely a slip of the tongue. It is a mirror reflecting the enduring duplicity at the heart of American foreign policy. As India looks to the future, it would do well to remember: true friends are tested not in times of celebration, but in moments of crisis.
On Kashmir, Trump — and by extension, America — failed that test.
