Amid Trump claim, Jaishankar asserts that India, Pak directly negotiated truce

In a rebuttal to US President Donald Trump’s claim of brokering peace between India and Pakistan following military hostilities between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said that when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reached out to him and Vice President JD Vance to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the conversation was limited to expressing concern.

Jaishankar in an interview with Netherlands-based broadcaster NOS categorically stated that New Delhi made it clear to the United States and other countries that if Pakistan was seeking a ceasefire, they needed to approach India directly.

Pak asked for ceasefire

“We need to hear it from them. Their general has to call up our general and say this. And that is what happened," added Jaishankar.

He also said that it was the Pakistani army which sent a message seeking a ceasefire and India responded accordingly. "The US was in the United States," said Jaishankar.

As for US President Donald Trump’s offer to mediate between the two countries to resolve the Kashmir issue, Jaishankar said that the matter was between India and Pakistan adding that India seeks to deal with it bilaterally.

Also Read: Trump takes credit for Indo-Pak ceasefire again, blasted by his ex-NSA

Op Sindoor only dormant, not over

As for the current status of Operation Sindoor, the Union minister said that following the ceasefire understanding the operation had only become “dormant” but definitely not over. Elaborating further, he said the operation was not over as it sent a clear message if there were terrorist activities in India, New Delhi would strike terrorists even if they were in Pakistan.

Jaishankar said continuing the operation does not necessarily mean “fighting with each other.”

Also Read: Trump says he convinced India, Pak to ‘let’s have peace, go make trade deals’

Seeks talks on Pakistan leaving PoK

The Union minister, during the interview, also explained the context of the India-Pakistan tension over Kashmir. He said that Kashmir was an integral part of India, adding that no country negotiates a part of its territory. Referring to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Jaishankar said it was under Pakistan’s illegal occupation and New Delhi seeks to discuss with Islamabad when they propose to leave that area.

He ruled out the possibility of any discussion on the Line of Control (Loc) or governance structures in Jammu and Kashmir. He said that the issue was between Islamabad and New Delhi, categorically ruling out any discussion on Indian territory.

Also Read: PM Modi has never rejected Trump's India-Pak mediation claims: Congress

The backdrop

India and Pakistan exchanged tit-for-tat military strikes after India launched Operation Sindoor, striking terror bases in Pakistan and killing over 100 terrorists. The strikes came after terrorists shot dead 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22. Pakistan tried to retaliate to Indian strikes with waves of drone and missile attacks targeting Indian civilian and military infrastructure. But it was thwarted by the Indian military which retaliated with air strikes on Pakistani air bases and air defence systems, inflicting heavy damage.