The Ministry of External Affairs has made it clear that US President Donald Trump played no role in mediating a ceasefire deal between India and Pakistan, stressing that New Delhi has always maintained that any issue pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir is addressed by the two countries bilaterally.
When asked about Trump’s claim that his administration brokered a deal between the two countries, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “That stated policy has not changed. As you are aware, the outstanding matter is the vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan.”
Last week, Trump made a surprise announcement on Truth Social about how his administration helped India and Pakistan reach a ceasefire following days of intense cross-border fighting.
There were also claims that Trump threatened to stop trade with the countries to get them to agree to a trade deal. “From the time Op Sindoor started on May 7 till the understanding on cessation of military action on May 10, there were conversations between Indian and US leaders on the evolving military situation. The issue of trade did not come up in any of these discussions,” MEA said.
How it all happened
The foreign ministry gave a timeline of how a ceasefire was reached between India and Pakistan last Saturday.
Amid repeated assertions by Trump that he had brokered a “ceasefire,” the government emphasised that the exact date, time, and wording of the agreement were determined by the DGMOs during their phone conversation at 3:35 pm on Saturday.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAccording to Jaiswal, “The request for this call was received by MEA from the Pakistani high commission at 1237 hours.” He further explained, “The Pakistani side had initial difficulties connecting the hotline for technical reasons. The timing was then decided based on the availability of the Indian DGMO at 1535 hours.”
“Early on 10th morning, we had mounted an extremely effective attack on key Pakistan Air Force bases. That was the reason they were now willing to stop firing and military action. Let me be clear. It was the force of Indian arms that compelled Pakistan to stop its firing,” he added.
‘Let’s not trade nukes’
During his visit to Saudi Arabia, Trump once again said that the US “helped” India and Pakistan to stop fighting.
“Just days ago, my administration successfully brokered a historic ceasefire to stop the escalating violence between India and Pakistan. I used trade to a large extent. I said let’s make a deal, let’s do some trading. Let’s not trade nuclear missiles. Let’s trade the things you make so beautifully. And they both have very powerful leaders, strong leaders, and it all stopped. Hopefully it will remain that way,” he said.
The president suggested that India and Pakistan should “get together for a little bit, go out and have a nice dinner.”