Who is Ricky Gill, Trump's Indian-origin advisor awarded for role in 'negotiating' India-Pakistan ceasefire?

Ricky Gill, special assistant to US President Donald Trump, has been awarded the Distinguished Action Award by the United States’ National Security Council (NSC) for his role in “negotiating” a ceasefire between India and Pakistan following Operation Sindoor in May this year. 

Gill, who is an American citizen with Indian roots, has been serving as the senior director for South and Central Asia. He received the award from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this week. 

A law degree holder from University of California, Berkeley, Gill was also part of Trump’s NSC during his first term as US President. During this period, Gill served as Director for Russia and European Energy Security at the NSC. 

In his current role, he tracks India, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the rest of South and Central Asia. 

In 2012, Gill had stood as a candidate for the House of Representatives from California during the federal elections but lost to Democrat Jerry McNerney. 

Meanwhile, the Government of India has repeatedly denied any involvement of the US in brokering a ceasefire with Pakistan. The government is of the stand that the ceasefire was achieved purely through bilateral negotiations and reiterated that this will be the case in the future also.