India-Pakistan Ceasefire Result of Direct Talks, Not US Mediation: EAM Jaishankar

By A Staff Reporter

New Delhi/The Hague, May 22 — External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has firmly stated that the recent cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan was the result of direct talks between the two countries, dismissing claims by former U.S. President Donald Trump that the United States played a role in brokering peace.

In an interview with Dutch broadcaster NOS during his visit to The Hague, Jaishankar clarified that while several countries, including the U.S., expressed concern during the India-Pakistan flare-up, the decision to end cross-border military actions was arrived at through bilateral communication.

“When two countries are engaged in a conflict, it is natural that countries in the world call up and try to indicate their concern,” Jaishankar said. “But the cessation of firing and military action was something which was negotiated directly between India and Pakistan.”

Jaishankar added that the ceasefire was confirmed through a direct call between military officials of both countries, not through external intermediaries. “We made one thing very clear to everybody who spoke to us, not just the US — if the Pakistanis want to stop fighting, they need to tell us. Their general has to call our general and say this. And that is what happened.”

Operation Sindoor, which involved Indian precision strikes on terror infrastructure inside Pakistan in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack, remains officially active. Jaishankar emphasized that the operation continues as a signal of deterrence, noting that any future terror attacks would invite swift response. “If the terrorists are in Pakistan, we will hit them where they are,” he said.

He also described the Pahalgam attack as “barbaric,” stressing that the terrorists deliberately targeted civilians based on religion with the aim of creating communal tension. “The lack of response was impossible in such a situation,” Jaishankar said.