Congress MP Manish Tewari Slams Trump Over ‘Thousand-Year’ Kashmir Claim, Calls for Better Historical Education
New Delhi, May 11, 2025 – Congress MP Manish Tewari launched a scathing critique of US President Donald Trump on Sunday, accusing him of historical ignorance after the American leader referred to the Kashmir conflict as a "thousand years" dispute. Tewari’s sharp rebuke came in response to Trump’s Truth Social post, where he praised India and Pakistan for agreeing to a US-mediated ceasefire and offered to mediate a resolution to the Kashmir issue, which he claimed had persisted for a millennium.
In a strongly worded post on X at 04:56 UTC on May 11, Tewari directly addressed Trump, urging the US establishment to "seriously educate their President." He clarified that the Kashmir conflict began on October 22, 1947, when Pakistan invaded the independent state of Jammu and Kashmir, leading to its formal accession to India by Maharaja Hari Singh on October 26, 1947. "Kashmir is not a biblical 1000-year-old conflict," Tewari asserted, emphasizing that the dispute is only 78 years old and rooted in well-documented historical events. He questioned, "How difficult is it to grasp this simple fact?" while tagging
@POTUS
and @realDonaldTrump
, ensuring his criticism reached a global audience.Tewari’s comments were sparked by Trump’s statement, reposted on X by
@TrumpDailyPosts
at 04:22 UTC on May 11, where the US President lauded the ceasefire between India and Pakistan as a "historic and heroic decision." Trump claimed the US played a pivotal role in averting "the death and destruction of so many," and expressed his intent to mediate on Kashmir, a region he described as embroiled in a "thousand years" conflict. The post, which garnered 368 retweets and 1.5K likes, drew widespread attention amid heightened tensions following India’s recent airstrikes on Pakistani airbases.The Congress leader’s criticism reflects India’s longstanding rejection of third-party mediation on Kashmir, a position grounded in the 1972 Simla Agreement, which mandates bilateral resolution of disputes with Pakistan. Tewari’s emphasis on the 1947 timeline underscores India’s legal and historical claim over Kashmir, including areas it considers illegally occupied by Pakistan, as per the Instrument of Accession signed by Maharaja Hari Singh.
Tewari’s remarks found resonance among several Indian voices on X. Journalist Barkha Dutt (
@BDUTT
) echoed his sentiments at 10:12 UTC, stating, "Truly seems as if no one briefs him," pointing to a perceived lack of preparation on Trump’s part. Others, like @trincazz
at 05:07 UTC, labeled Trump’s comments an "embarrassment" for India’s Modi government, arguing that they undermined years of diplomatic efforts to de-hyphenate India-Pakistan relations on the global stage.The controversy comes against the backdrop of a tenuous ceasefire brokered by the US on May 10, following 48 hours of diplomacy led by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance. The truce halted escalating clashes, which saw India destroy 11 Pakistani airbases, raising fears of a nuclear confrontation, as reported by
@sunandavashisht
on X at 02:33 UTC. However, reports of cross-border shelling in Indian-administered Kashmir just hours after the ceasefire, as noted in a Guardian article on May 10, have cast doubts on its longevity.Tewari’s sharp critique highlights the sensitivity of the Kashmir issue in India and the potential diplomatic fallout from Trump’s historical misstep. As military officials from India and Pakistan prepare to hold talks on May 12 to ensure compliance with the ceasefire, the incident underscores the challenges of external mediation in a conflict deeply rooted in South Asian history and geopolitics.
