Guwahati: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has confirmed that India repeatedly stated the conflict during Operation Sindoor was a bilateral issue, requiring no third-party mediation.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Dar said he was informed of India’s position during his talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in July.
“When I met Secretary Rubio on July 25 in Washington, I asked about any US-mediated dialogue between India and Pakistan. He told me India said it was a bilateral matter,” Dar stated. He also clarified that Pakistan had not requested the United States or any other country to mediate, and that the ceasefire request had come directly from Pakistan after suffering losses during the Indian offensive.
Dar’s remarks contradict repeated claims by former US President Donald Trump, who has consistently taken credit for brokering the ceasefire between India and Pakistan. Trump had posted on Truth Social in May, asserting that US mediation had led to a “full and immediate ceasefire,” and has reiterated this claim multiple times to international leaders.
The comments also sparked political reactions in India. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for echoing Pakistan’s narrative, with BJP leader Amit Malviya urging Gandhi to consider Dar’s statements, which affirmed that India had rejected any third-party intervention.
India has consistently maintained that the decision to halt military actions was a result of direct communication between New Delhi and Islamabad, and not influenced by external mediation.
Background: On May 7, Indian Defence Forces conducted precision strikes on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under Operation Sindoor, in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
The strikes reportedly eliminated over 100 terrorists, including close aides and family members of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, triggering four days of cross-border fighting involving jets, missiles, and artillery.