Our Bureau
New Delhi
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has come out with a six-point rebuttal to clear the air regarding the nature of the Ceasefire Agreement and the US involvement in the matter. The MEA has refuted the claims of US mediation and trade pressure and has ensured that the agreement was reached through direct military channels.
The President of the United States of America, Donald Trump claimed that the ceasefire was brokered by the US government. He has also stated that there have been trade talks initiated by the US with both India and Pakistan and has reported that there are prospects of talks on the Kashmir conflict. The MEA has refuted any such claims by the US government and has issued a six-point rebuttal to such claims.
The Ministry said,
1. Ceasefire was not brokered by the US.
The Ministry has clarified that the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of both nations worked out direct military channels between them to formulate a ceasefire agreement between both nations. This statement directly contradicts the statement made by Trump that said there was a long night of negotiations that led to a ceasefire agreement between the two nations.
2. No Nuclear Escalations.
Trump stated that they have avoided a nuclear conflict which could have resulted in the loss of millions of lives. Mr. Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson of MEA, debunked these claims and said that, “India has a firm stance that it will not give in to nuclear blackmail.” He also stated that India’s armed forces only targeted conventional domains.
3. There were no trade discussions.
The US President stated that he had offered both nations an increase in trade sustainability from his end. But the Ministry has openly denied the reports of any such deals. They have said that there has been no discussion on trade with the US during Operation Sindoor.
4. No involvement in the Kashmir conflict.
Trump referred to the Kashmir conflict between the two nations as a ‘1000-year conflict’ and said they have offered to mediate the Kashmir conflict. Mr. Jaiswal debunked these claims and said, “We have a longstanding national position that any issues pertaining to the Indian Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir have to be addressed by India and Pakistan bilaterally. That stated policy has not changed. As you are aware, the outstanding matter is the vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan.”
5. No Hyphenation.
India has made its stance clear and has firmly rejected the hyphenation of India and Pakistan together diplomatically. Mr. Jaiswal has stated clearly that Indian tourists were victims of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam and Pakistan is the epicenter of terrorism. India had all the rights to retaliate and many foreign leaders have recognised India’s right to defend itself and protect its people.
6. No discussions on neutral grounds.
The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio had announced that both India and Pakistan had agreed to talks regarding border issues at a neutral venue. These claims by Rubio have been denied strongly by the MEA and they have said that there are no such discussions planned.
