Former US President Donald Trump has once again referred to the India-Pakistan conflict during a recent speech in which he took partial credit for helping ease tensions between Cambodia and Thailand. While the main focus of his remarks was on Southeast Asia, Trump brought up India and Pakistan as an example of conflicts that he believes he helped to “calm down” during his time in office.

Speaking at a political event, Trump claimed, “When I was President, we managed to stop major escalations between countries. Look at what we did between Cambodia and Thailand. We did the same with India and Pakistan — got them talking instead of fighting.”

The comments have sparked renewed attention in South Asia, where Trump has previously claimed he played a behind-the-scenes role in diffusing tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad, particularly during the Pulwama-Balakot crisis in 2019. However, both India and Pakistan have publicly maintained that any diplomatic progress or military restraint was the result of their own decision-making.

In this latest instance, Trump didn’t provide any fresh details but appeared to use the India-Pakistan comparison to frame his wider point about international diplomacy and his administration’s influence.

While his remarks were brief, they’ve once again stirred debate, with some analysts questioning the accuracy of Trump’s claims, and others suggesting he’s simply trying to highlight his foreign policy record ahead of the 2024 US elections.

Regardless of the accuracy, it’s not the first time India and Pakistan have been mentioned in broader global diplomacy conversations — and likely won’t be the last.