As world leaders convene in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to finalise the framework for the US-brokered Gaza peace plan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has opted not to attend the high-level summit, which is co-chaired by US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
Instead, India will be represented by Minister of State Kirti Vardhan Singh. Despite a personal invitation from El-Sisi, Modi’s decision to skip the summit, attended by over 20 world leaders to discuss Gaza’s post-war reconstruction and peace framework, has sparked speculation about the reasons behind his absence.
The Pakistan Factor
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated following the April 22, Pahalgam attack by Pakistan-backed terrorists, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists. India’s retaliatory Operation Sindoor further intensified the conflict. In response, India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty and closed the Attari-Wagah checkpost, alongside other diplomatic measures against Pakistan.
At the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China last month, PM Modi, in the presence of his Pakistani counterpart, criticised “certain nations” for supporting terrorism. He stated, “India has suffered the brunt of terrorism for four decades, and, following the Pahalgam attack, it is natural to raise whether the open support of terrorism by some countries can be acceptable to us. We have to unanimously oppose terrorism in every form and colour. This is our duty towards humanity.”
A video from the summit, widely shared on social media, showed Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin walking past Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif during a group photograph. In July, Sharif offered to hold “meaningful talks” with India, but the proposal was ignored by New Delhi.
Trump Factor?
Last month, PM Modi also skipped a virtual BRICS leaders’ meeting convened by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to address trade disruptions caused by Trump’s sweeping tariffs, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar representing India.
Relations between India and the US have been strained since Trump imposed 50 per cent tariffs on India as a penalty for its continued purchase of Russian oil despite warnings. India has urged the US to lift these levies, emphasising the importance of affordable energy for its 1.4 billion citizens, but the issue remains unresolved despite recent talks.
Reports indicate that Modi declined to take calls from Trump at least four times after the tariffs were imposed. However, on Modi’s 75th birthday last month, the two leaders spoke when Trump called to extend his wishes. On October 9, Modi called Trump to congratulate him on the Gaza peace plan’s success and reviewed the “good progress” in bilateral trade negotiations. Despite this renewed engagement, Trump has continued to claim credit for resolving the India-Pakistan conflict.
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On October 7, he told reporters, “If I didn’t have the power of tariffs, you would have at least four of the seven wars raging. If you look at India and Pakistan, they were ready to go at it. Seven planes were shot down... I don’t want to say exactly what I said, but what I said was very effective.”
India has consistently rejected Trump’s claims, asserting that the ceasefire with Pakistan was negotiated directly between the military operations chiefs of the two countries without third-party mediation. In June 2025, while Modi was attending the G7 Summit in Canada, Trump invited him for a stopover in Washington to discuss the India-Pakistan situation, an invitation Modi declined, particularly notable given the concurrent visit of the Pakistan Army chief to Washington.
India’s decision to send a representative rather than Modi to the Egypt summit likely reflects a desire to avoid giving Trump another platform to claim credit for easing India-Pakistan tensions, especially in a setting where both leaders would be present.
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