Desk Report,
Pakistan initiated ceasefire: India
India did not directly claim that the US was not behind the suspension of Operation Sindoor or the declaration of ceasefire. India also did not directly comment on whether US President Donald Trump used tariff policy to stop the ceasefire. In response to a written question in the Lok Sabha on Friday, India repeated what has been said for a long time. That is, the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan themselves accepted the ceasefire through talks. India said that it was Pakistan that took the initiative. Five members of the Lok Sabha, including Trinamool Congress’s Mala Roy and Deepak Adhikari, asked the Ministry of External Affairs several questions in this regard. They wanted to know whether the ceasefire was declared due to US intervention, whether there was any high-level meeting with the US before the declaration, whether the US had any role in the declaration and if so, what it was. The questioners also wanted to know whether the US President used his country’s tariff policy to convince him to accept the ceasefire. The question was also asked whether the United States has been informed that India is against any third country’s mediation in resolving the Kashmir issue. Today, Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh responded to those questions in writing.
Pakistan initiated ceasefire: India
In response to the questions, the Minister of State for External Affairs gave the same answer that the Indian government has been saying for a long time. Kirti Vardhan Singh said that India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on May 10. The DGMOs of both countries took that decision. Pakistan took that initiative.
The Indian Minister of State for External Affairs replied that India’s objective was achieved on May 8 itself. ‘Terrorist bases’ were destroyed in Pakistan-controlled territory and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. He also said that from the Pahalgam incident on April 22 to May 10, India held diplomatic talks with various countries. The United States was among those countries. Everyone was told one thing, that India measured what it did. It attacked a specific target. The Minister of State replied that on May 9, US Vice President JD Vance was informed that if Pakistan attacks, India will give a befitting reply. The issue of trade did not come up in that discussion.
Kirti Vardhan Singh also said that the India-Pakistan problem will be resolved through bilateral talks. This is India’s long-standing position. That position has not changed. He said that this position has been conveyed to all countries. The Prime Minister has also conveyed this to the US President.
Although this was said in response to a written question, the US President is still repeatedly claiming that he was the one who convinced both India and Pakistan to cease hostilities, and that he put pressure on both countries with tariff policies. India has not yet made it clear whether US President Trump’s claim is untrue or he is lying. The Minister of State for External Affairs did not directly say so in his written reply to the Lok Sabha.
