‘Blow to self-proclaimed Vishwaguru’s self-boastful diplomacy’: Congress on U.S.-Pakistan military exercise

The Congress on Saturday (January 17, 2026) took a swipe at the Modi government and said the joint training exercise by American and Pakistani troops was “yet another blow to the self-proclaimed Vishwaguru’s self-boastful diplomacy”.

U.S. and Pakistani troops concluded a joint training at the National Counter-Terrorism Centre in Pabbi during the exercise, ‘Inspired Gambit 2026’.

Reacting to the development, Congress general secretary, in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh said, “In yet another blow to the self-proclaimed Vishwaguru’s self-boastful diplomacy, the US Central Command has just issued a statement saying that US and Pakistani Army soldiers have completed joint training exercises…” In June 2025 the-then Chief of the US Central Command General Michael Kunilla had hailed Pakistan as a “phenomenal partner” in counter-terrorism, Ramesh said.

“President Trump himself has repeatedly expressed his deep admiration for Field Marshal Asim Munir, whose inflammatory and communally provocative remarks had provided the immediate backdrop to the Pakistan-orchestrated terror attacks in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025,” Mr. Ramesh said on X.

“Just yesterday, President Trump reiterated that he had intervened to have Operation Sindoor halted on May 10, 2025,” he added.

Training exercises such as this, between the US and Pakistan, strengthen long-standing defence ties of the two countries, Dawn reported on Saturday (January 17, 2026), quoting a statement issued by the U.S. Central Command (Centcom).

The joint exercise concluded this week focused on combined infantry skills and tactics, and counterterrorism operations, the statement added.

The exercise held between January 8-16 comes amid broader signs of re-engagement between the two defence establishments, the report said.