Trump took the lead, Modi took the stage: analysts

KARACHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first public address following the ceasefire with Pakistan has drawn scathing criticism from Pakistani diplomats and political analysts, who say the speech was steeped in domestic posturing and misinformation, and failed to acknowledge the realities of the recent conflict.

Talking to The News on Monday night, former ambassador to the UN and the US Dr Maleeha Lodhi called Modi’s remarks “an aggressive and provocative speech aimed at the domestic audience -- an effort to shore up his political position after the military and diplomatic setbacks he has faced. It was a litany of lies and falsehoods, but it does indicate that despite the ceasefire, relations between India and Pakistan will continue to be tense and volatile”.

Echoing similar sentiments, former ambassador Touqir Hussain described the address as a “crude and disingenuous attempt to gloss over a virtual military defeat and a clear disappointment about the international community’s inability to endorse India’s position.” He added that “even its closest ally, Washington’s response did not fully align with India’s”, and the political fallout from Modi’s failure to deliver a decisive outcome would be felt domestically. “Through false or exaggerated claims and by focusing on the single issue of terrorism, the speech aimed to turn defeat into victory... The idea was to arouse public emotions by focusing on security and Pakistan... And to the sceptics, it says the conflict is not over; don’t make any balance sheet yet”, he noted.

Journalist and political commentator Nasim Zehra did not mince any words, stating that “Indian PM Modi is on an unending lying spree. His first speech after having gotten the ceasefire India had desperately sought was a combination of untruths, coverups for the military thrashing it received and essentially a no to dialogue with Pakistan by insisting talks can only take place on what Modi calls ‘Pakistan Occupied Kashmir’ and on terrorism!”

Dr Rabia Akhtar, dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Lahore, looked at the Indian prime minister’s speech through US President Trump’s Monday statement regarding India and Pakistan’s ceasefire. Per Dr Akhtar, “Trump’s Monday statement dilutes Indian PM Modi’s speech and reduces it to mere bravado to appease his domestic audience... [Trump] effectively weaponised trade, not troops, to force restraint... In doing so, he expanded the vocabulary of deterrence in South Asia in ways that more conventional actors had failed to do”.

Raza Rumi, editor of The Friday Times-Naya Daur, offered The News a historical and strategic analysis, asserting that the speech was “primarily intended for Modi’s domestic audience that had been riled up before the India-Pakistan standoff and was expecting a ‘decisive’ victory a la 1971”. He added that the address “indicated India’s misreading of global politics and underestimation of Pakistan’s defence capabilities” and that the misadventure had “internationalised the Kashmir issue” and reaffirmed Pakistan-China strategic ties.

For former ambassador Shafqat Kakakhel, Modi’s address was “a desperate attempt to overcome his frustration over the failure of his unprovoked aggression”. According to Kakakhel, Modi “did not say anything new except reiterated his rhetoric that ‘terror aur paani’ can’t flow and ‘trade aur panic can’t work”. The former ambassador also warned that while Pakistan has “achieved a spectacular military success... the bigger test will be diplomatic, for which internal unity and cohesion are prerequisites”.

Initial reactions from Indian social media were mixed. While Modi’s political allies rallied behind the speech, opposition voices and independent journalists raised questions.

Michael Kugelman, South Asia Institute director at The Wilson Center, commented on X (formerly Twitter): “Modi’s speech more or less confirmed what was presumed from the start: Talks between India and Pakistan on a ‘broader set of issues’, which the US claimed will follow the ceasefire, are a nonstarter. But wouldn’t rule out Trump personally offering to host talks in a third country”.

NDTV Managing Editor Shiv Aroor described the “big headline” from the speech as India declaring it “will no longer tolerate nuclear blackmail to protect terror”. Right-wing commentator Sunanda Vashisht echoed this, writing, “Don’t try these stunts on us”.

Support from within Modi’s BJP was swift. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the speech was a “clear declaration of the policy of ‘New India’ against terrorism,” and Union Home Minister Amit Shah also approved it.

Yet scepticism persisted. Investigative journalist Rana Ayyub urged Modi to clarify Trump’s role in the ceasefire, writing, “Without a clear statement, we risk misinterpretations -- and give the US room to overstate its role in resolving the crisis.”

Veteran journalist Rajdeep Sardesai commented that, while Modi’s address included “hard, tough talk”, it raised several critical questions: “What of Donald Trump equating India and Pakistan as ‘great nations’ with trade deals and more?... Sharp enunciation of a ‘Modi doctrine’ that terror will be seen as an ‘act of war’ undeterred by Pakistani nuclear blackmail, but is this a long-term strategy that may only destabilise the region further?”

According to ANI, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit criticised the speech for being repetitive and lacking substance: “We were expecting that after showing the place to Pakistan in 2-3 days, the issue of ceasefire would be discussed. The PM said nothing about it. He said all the things already known”.