5 hours ago
Last Updated:May 22, 2025, 10:48 IST
Jaishankar said that India and Pakistan had negotiated the ceasefire directly and New Delhi had conveyed this to Washington that Islamabad had to initiate ceasefire talks.
Jaishankar says India, Pakistan negotiated ceasefire directly (PTI Image)
Amid Donald Trump’s repeated claim of his intervention between India and Pakistan for a ceasefire, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said that it was only New Delhi and Islamabad that “directly negotiated" the ceasefire, which the Indian government calls an “understanding".
Jaishankar said that several countries were in touch with India when Operation Sindoor was underway between May 7 and 10, stressing that “the US was not alone". He highlighted that India told every other country, including the United States, that if Pakistan wanted a ceasefire, they have communicate it to India directly.
Notably, Trump has made repeated claims about brokering the India-Pakistan ceasefire using a “trade" offer to both countries. “If you take a look at what we just did with Pakistan and India. We settled that whole, and I think I settled it through trade," Trump reiterated on Wednesday.
Jaishankar’s Interview With Foreign Media
Jaishankar’s remarks on the ceasefire came while appearing on a television interview in the Netherlands, which is the second-largest arms supplier to Pakistan.
“Yes, we have a mechanism to talk to each other as a hotline. On 10th May, the Pakistan army sent a message that they are ready to stop firing," Jaishankar said in the interview.
When asked where the United States was in the process, the EAM responded, “US was in the United States."
The Minister went on to elaborate on the sequence of events occurring during the 4-day fighting between India and Pakistan on the borders and said that several countries, including the United States, were in touch with India at that time, however, India had made it amply clear to the US that Pakistan has to come forward and talk ceasefire if they want to stop fighting.
“I mean, JD Vance spoke to PM Modi, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to me, they were talking to Pakistanis. The US was not alone; many other countries were in touch (with us). When two countries are engaged, it is natural that countries call. The ceasefire was negotiated directly between India and Pakistan. We told everyone, including the US. If they want to stop firing, they have to talk to us directly. And that’s why it happened," Jaishankar said.
India-Pakistan ‘Understanding’
India and Pakistan agreed to halt the military operations along the Line of Control and the Border after the Pakistani DGMO reached out to his Indian counterpart, seeking a ceasefire on May 10.
The sudden development came after intense retaliation by the Indian armed forces, which struck several Pakistani airbases the night before, giving the enemy a bloody nose. India’s decisive response came after Pakistan fired a number of ballistic missiles into Indian territory — all of which were intercepted and destroyed midair before they could hit their targets.
Location :Netherlands
First Published:News world 'Pakistan Must Talk Directly': Jaishankar Recalls India's Message To US During Op Sindoor
