The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday addressed two major developments — speculation surrounding US President Donald Trump’s potential visit to India next year and allegations of Pakistan’s secret nuclear weapons testing.
At the weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said there was “nothing to share” at the moment regarding reports of Trump’s proposed India visit.
“As far as the comments of President Trump regarding his visit to India are concerned, I do not have anything on this to share. I will let you know when I have something to share about it,” Jaiswal said.
His remarks came after multiple media reports cited Trump hinting at a possible trip to India next year, as part of efforts to boost bilateral trade ties.
Speaking to reporters at the White House after announcing a new deal to lower obesity drug prices, Trump had said his conversations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi were “going great.”
“He (PM Modi) largely stopped buying from Russia. He is a friend of mine, and we speak, and he wants me to go there. We will figure that out; I will go... Prime Minister Modi is a great man, and I will be going,” Trump said.
When asked directly if he planned to travel to India next year, the US President replied, “It could be, yes.”
This comes months after a New York Times report in August suggested Trump had dropped plans to attend the Quad Summit in India later this year, following Washington’s decision to impose steep tariffs.
India Slams Pakistan Over Nuclear Testing Allegations
During the same briefing, Jaiswal also hit out at Pakistan over its alleged secret nuclear weapons testing — remarks made in response to Trump’s claim that Islamabad had been testing nuclear arms covertly.
The MEA spokesperson described Pakistan’s nuclear record as one marred by “decades of smuggling, export control violations, secret partnerships, and the AQ Khan network.”
“Clandestine and illegal nuclear activities are in keeping with Pakistan’s history, that is centred around decades of smuggling, export control violations, secret partnerships, AQ Khan network and further proliferation,” Jaiswal said.
He added that India has consistently highlighted these issues before the international community.
“In this backdrop, we have taken note of President Trump’s comment about Pakistan’s nuclear testing,” he said.
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