The Trump administration has honoured Indian-origin US official Ricky Gill with the National Security Council’s Distinguished Action Award for his role in ceasefire negotiations between India and Pakistan this year, even as New Delhi continues to firmly deny any US involvement in the bilateral arrangement.
Award details
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio presented the award to Gill, who serves as Special Assistant to the US President and Senior Director for South and Central Asia at the National Security Council.
The Distinguished Action Award is among the NSC’s highest internal recognitions, acknowledging exceptional service in advancing US national security objectives. US officials stated the recognition was for Gill’s contribution to “internal coordination and diplomatic outreach” related to the India-Pakistan ceasefire framework during 2025.
India’s denial of the US narrative
India has consistently and vehemently maintained that the May 2025 ceasefire understanding was not mediated by any third country, including the United States. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and other senior Indian government figures have repeatedly stated that India and Pakistan arrived at the ceasefire understanding bilaterally through established military and diplomatic channels.
The Indian government told Parliament that the cessation of firing on May 10 resulted from direct contact between the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both nations, initiated by Pakistan, with no US mediation involved.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made it “unequivocally clear” to President Trump that India neither accepts nor will ever accept mediation.
Background on Gill
Gill currently oversees the India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and broader South and Central Asia portfolio at the NSC. He previously served in the first Trump administration as Director for Russia and European Energy Security at the NSC, and earlier as Senior Advisor at the US State Department’s Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations.
Born in Lodi, New Jersey, to parents Jasbir and Param Gill, he holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and a law degree from UC Berkeley.
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