‘Cessation of hostilities negotiated bilaterally…’: EAM Jaishankar rebuts Trump’s India-Pakistan ceasefire mediation claim, says India needed to…
India-Pakistan ceasefire: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has rebutted US President Donald Trump’s claim of US mediating the India-Pakistan ceasefire, stating that the understanding on cessation of hostilities was negotiated directly between two countries. In a interview to Dutch broadcaster NOS, Jaishankar shut down speculations about any third-party involvement in the India-Pakistan truce deal.
Ceasefire negotiated bilaterally
“When two countries are engaged in a conflict, it is natural that countries in the world call up and try to sort of indicate their concern. But the cessation of firing and military action was something which was negotiated directly between India and Pakistan,” the EAM said.
On May 10, Donald Trump announced that India and Pakistan have agreed to a “full and immediate ceasefire” after “a long night of talks mediated by the United States”
“After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE. Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!,” the US President wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Trump has since repeatedly claimed credit for it saying that he played a role in brokering the “ceasefire” between the two sides.
India will strike again if another terror incident occurs
Meanwhile, asked about why Operation Sindoor was not concluded after a bilateral understanding was reached between the two sides, Jaishankar said that India will hit terrorists in Pakistan again if another heinous terror attack, like the one in Pahalgam, is carried out.
“The operation continues because there is a clear message in that operation that if there are acts of the kind we saw on April 22, there will be a response, that we will hit the terrorists. If the terrorists are in Pakistan, we will hit them where they are. So, there is a message in continuing the operation but continuing the operation is not the same as firing on each other,” he said.
S Jaishankar, who was in The Hague as part of his three-nation tour of the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany, described the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack as “barbaric” and said the terrorists “murdered” the innocent civilians in front of their families after ascertaining their “faith” with an aim to to create “religious discord”.
“It was imperative that we have a response because the lack of response…was impossible in such a situation,” he said.
Only talks with Pakistan will be about PoK, terrorism
On future bilateral engagements with Pakistan, Jaishankar said New Delhi will only hold talks with Islamabad on Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) being reunited with India, and on terrorism.
Asked about security concerns emanating from frontiers along China and Pakistan on India’s economic growth, Jaishankar indicated that economic growth and security are part of the same coin.
“Our security challenges were far more threatening than yours (Europe’s). So we had to prioritise security. You don’t choose between security and economic prosperity. Today, you are realising that they are part of the same coin.”
Operation Sindoor
On May 7, Indian armed forces launched a series of precise missile strikes on as many as nine terror infrastructures deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), killing more than 100 terrorists within a 25-minute window, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had revealed.
The strikes were launched in response to last month’s heinous Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 civilians, mostly tourists, dead in Kashmir valley.
Following the Indian military action, Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10. The Pakistani attempts were strongly responded to by the Indian side.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on May 10 announced that India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea, with immediate effect.
In his remarks, Jaishankar said the arrangement on cessation of hostilities was firmed up by the Indian and the Pakistani sides.
(With PTI inputs)
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