Jaishankar clarifies on ‘US-brokered ceasefire' claim: ‘Naturally when two countries are involved…'

Mint

23-05-2025

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in an interview recently that it's natural that when two countries are engaged in a conflict, other countries in the world "call up and try to sort of indicate their concern".
"But the cessation of firing and military action was something which was negotiated directly between India and Pakistan," Jaishankar reiterated in an interview with Dutch public broadcasters NOS.
Jaishankar said this in response to a question about US President Donald Trump's claim that the US "mediated" talks between India and Pakistan as tensions flared up between the two countries.
Jaishankar said US Secretary of State Mark Rubio, and Vice President JD Vance had called up. "Rubio had spoken to me, Vance had spoken to our prime minister. They had their view, and they were talking to us, and they were talking to Pakistanis, as indeed were some other countries."
"The United States was not alone in this. I think there were some countries in the Gulf. There were some others as well," Jaishankar said.
Jaishankar said that as leaders of nations, not just from the US, contacted India amid the conflict, 'one thing [was made] very clear to everybody who spoke to us.'
"We made one thing very clear to everybody who spoke to us, not just the United States, but to everybody. saying, 'Look, if the Pakistanis want to stop firing, they need to tell us. We need to hear it from them. Their general has to call up our general and say this and that is what happened," he said.
On May 10, India and Pakistan agreed to reach a "bilateral understanding" after intense cross-firing took place along the borders since the launch of Operation Sindoor.
In an interview with Dutch daily De Volkskrant, Jaishankar said, "Let's stop pretending Pakistan is not involved in terrorist attacks on India."
When asked whether he was implying that Pakistan supports terrorism, Jaishankar responded: "I am not suggesting that, I am stating that. Suppose that there were large military centres in the middle of a city like Amsterdam where tens of thousands of people gathered for military training, would you say that your government knows nothing about that? Of course not."
"We should not go along with the narrative that Pakistan does not know what is going on. The most notorious terrorists on the United Nations (UN) sanctions list are all in Pakistan," Jaishankar said.
He further claimed, "They [terrorists] operate in the big cities, in broad daylight. Their addresses are known. Their activities are known. Their mutual contacts are known. So let's not pretend that Pakistan is not involved. The state is involved. The army is up to its neck in it."
Jaishankar referred to the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, and stated that the Pakistani military leadership holds extreme religious views.
"We want a definitive end to terrorism. Our message is therefore: yes, the ceasefire has put an end to military actions against each other for now, but if the terrorist attacks from Pakistan continue, there will be consequences. The Pakistanis must understand that very well," Jaishankar said.
Jaishankar was in the Netherlands in place of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who cancelled his planned state visit due to the recent military exchange between India and Pakistan. The visit focused on economic cooperation and counterterrorism, as well as preparatory discussions for PM Modi's rescheduled visit later this year.