India, Pakistan Quietly Agreed To Ceasefire, US Played No Role: S Jaishankar

New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reiterated that the caller cessation of hostilities betwixt India and Pakistan was the effect of a nonstop bilateral arrangement, and not influenced by planetary mediation, peculiarly from the United States. In an interrogation with the Netherlands-based broadcaster NOS, Mr Jaishankar highlighted India's longstanding concerns implicit Pakistan's usage of coercion arsenic a authorities argumentation and stressed that India has each close to respond decisively to specified threats.

Tensions betwixt India and Pakistan escalated pursuing a violent onslaught successful Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam connected April 22, which claimed 26 lives. India responded with Operation Sindoor, targeting 9 terror-related sites successful Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Indian effect resulted successful the deaths of implicit 100 terrorists associated with groups including Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.

Mr Jaishankar said that the continuation of Operation Sindoor served a strategical purpose. "The cognition continues due to the fact that determination is simply a wide connection successful that cognition - if determination are acts of the benignant we saw connected April 22nd, determination volition beryllium a response. We volition deed the terrorists. If the terrorists are successful Pakistan, we volition deed them wherever they are," helium said.

He clarified that portion the cognition remained progressive successful principle, it did not mean continued subject engagement.

"Continuing the cognition is not the aforesaid arsenic warring with each other. Right now, determination is an agreed cessation of warring and subject action. So the cognition is dormant," helium said. 

According to Mr Jaishankar, the ceasefire statement was initiated by the Pakistani subject connected May 10 done hotline communication. 

"It was the Pakistani service which sent a connection that they were acceptable to halt firing, and we responded accordingly," helium said. Mr Jaishankar again reiterated that portion different countries, including the United States, expressed interest and made calls to some sides, the ceasefire was negotiated exclusively betwixt New Delhi and Islamabad.

"The US was successful the United States," Mr Jaishankar noted pointedly, successful effect to a question astir Washington's involvement. He confirmed that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance had reached retired - Mr Rubio to him and Mr Vance to Prime Minister Narendra Modi - but their relation was constricted to expressing concern. 

"We made 1 happening precise wide to everybody who spoke to us, not conscionable the United States but to everyone, saying if the Pakistanis privation to halt fighting, they request to archer us. We request to perceive it from them. Their wide has to telephone up our wide and accidental this. And that is what happened," helium said. 

Asked astir claims by US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly suggested helium had facilitated the ceasefire and offered to mediate what helium described arsenic a "thousand-year conflict," Mr Jaishankar dismissed specified claims. 

"This is thing betwixt america and the Pakistanis. We suggest to woody with it bilaterally," helium said. 

The External Affairs Minister provided discourse to the long-standing tensions by going backmost to 1947. "From the precise start, Pakistan utilized proxies and denied involvement. Almost astatine the clip of independence, Pakistan sent successful proxy forces and claimed they were tribals. It turned retired determination were Pakistani subject people, immoderate successful uniform, immoderate not," helium said. 

Mr Jaishankar added that India's presumption connected Kashmir is non-negotiable. 

"Kashmir is portion of India. No state negotiates a portion of its territory. There is 1 conception of Kashmir which is nether amerciable concern by Pakistan since 1947-48. We would similar to sermon with them erstwhile they suggest to permission that part."

He dismissed immoderate proposition that the Line of Control (Loc) oregon governance structures successful Jammu and Kashmir were up for discussion. "This has got to beryllium a superior talk. It is thing that we request to bash betwixt america and the authorities of Pakistan. But we are not negotiating our territory," helium said.