Talks with Pakistan will be ‘strictly bilateral': Jaishankar
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday (May 15, 2025) reiterated that India's conversation with Pakistan would be conducted in a 'strictly bilateral' format. Speaking to the media after the launch of the new embassy of Honduras in New Delhi, Mr. Jaishankar referred to the 'national consensus' on conducting dialogue with Pakistan saying there had been 'absolutely' no change in that consensus. The remarks from Mr. Jaishankar came as U.S. President Donald Trump once again spoke about the role that he played in bringing the latest India-Pakistan conflict to a pause on May 10.
Follow India-Pakistan ceasefire updates on May 15
'To me things are fairly clear. Let me take this opportunity to spell out our position. Where Pakistan is concerned, our – relations – dealings with them will be bilateral and strictly bilateral – that is a national consensus for many years and there is absolutely no change in that consensus that dealings with Pakistan will be bilateral,' the Minister told the media. He clarified that talks with Pakistan would be on India's concerns about Pakistan-based terror outfits.
'The Prime Minister made it very clear that the only talk with Pakistan will be on terror. Pakistan has a list of terrorists who need to be handed over. They have to shut down the terrorist infrastructure. They know what to do. We are prepared to discuss with them what needs to be done on terrorism,' said Mr. Jaishankar arguing, 'Those are the talks that are feasible.'
The Minister's emphatic remarks on the 'bilateral framework' regarding Pakistan came even as President Trump, who is on a three-nation tour in the Gulf, referred to his reported role in bringing Operation Sindoor to a pause. 'I sure as hell helped settle the problem between Pakistan and India last week which was getting more and more hostile and all of a sudden, we started seeing missiles of a different type and we got it settled,' Mr. Trump said addressing U.S. troops stationed at the Al-Udaid airbase in Qatar.
'… I think it is settled and we talk to them about trade. Let's do trade instead of the war. Pakistan was happy with that, and Hindu [India] was happy with that,' said Mr. Trump during the same speech. The U.S. President had announced the cessation of firing and military hostilities shortly before Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Mr. Jaishankar had formally announced the same on May 10. He has ever since been repeating the role that he and his officials — Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice-President J.D. Vance — have played in bringing the escalating conflict between India and Pakistan to a pause. Before his latest assertion at the Al Udaid airbase, Mr. Trump had mentioned the same in the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum in Riyadh on May 13. 'Just days ago, my administration successfully brokered a historic ceasefire to stop the escalating violence between India and Pakistan and I used trade to a large extent to do it… It all stopped. Hopefully, it will remain that way,' said President Trump.
'We have come a long way. Millions of people could have died from that conflict that started off as small and was getting bigger and bigger by the day,' said Mr. Trump in Riyadh on Tuesday. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had on Tuesday mentioned that the telephone conversation between Indian and U.S. leadership did not refer to trade. 'From the time Operation Sindoor commenced on May 7 till the understanding on cessation of firing and military action on May 10, there were conversations between Indian and U.S. leaders on the evolving military situation. The issue of trade did not come up in any of these discussions,' Mr. Jaiswal said, emphasising the bilateral framework that Mr. Jaishankar reiterated on Thursday.
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