Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday strongly criticised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming he faces political isolation both within India and on the international stage.
Speaking to reporters in Islamabad, the defence czar said that Indian PM Modi has “become an international joke” and is no longer taken seriously on the global stage.
“He tries to shake hands, but people avoid him,” he remarked.
His remarks came a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed the Modi government over US President Donald Trump’s claim that five Indian fighter jets were shot down during clashes with Pakistan.
“If Modi has the courage, let him say in this House that Trump lied. Say that there was no ceasefire and no Indian jets were downed,” Gandhi had said.
The South Asian rivals fought an intense four-day conflict in May that left more than 70 people dead on both sides before Trump announced a ceasefire between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
Asif went on to say that recent public statements by Modi are an attempt to recover his lost political ground, which the former believes is no longer possible.
The defence minister also pointed to recent parliamentary sessions in India, saying that Modi faced visible embarrassment.
He urged the Indian prime minister to accept the facts of the recent military stand-off, noting that even Indian media and armed forces have admitted to losing fighter jets against Pakistan.
A day ago, Modi once again denied that any world leader pushed India to stop fighting Pakistan during their recent conflict, after repeated claims by US President Donald Trump that he had brokered peace.
“No world leader asked us to stop the operation,” Modi told parliament during a debate on “Operation Sindoor”, the military campaign launched against Pakistan in May.
Modi did not name Trump in his speech.
Trump has claimed numerous times that he brokered peace between the rivals, including most recently on Monday.
“If I weren’t around, you’d have, right now, six major wars going on. India would be fighting with Pakistan,” Trump said during his visit to Scotland.
