Jaishankar junks Trump's mediation claims: 'India, Pakistan directly negotiated ceasefire over hotline'

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in the Netherlands on his first foreign tour since India-Pakistan conflict.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India and Pakistan have the mechanism to talk to each other as a hotline. and continuing operation is not like firing at each other.

During an interview with NOS reporter Sander van Hoorn in Netherlands, the minister said the recent tensions between India and Pakistan was triggered by “very barbaric terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam where 26 tourists were murdered in front of family after ascertaining faith”. “It was intended to harm tourism and to create a religious discord. An element of religion was introduced,” he said.

Amid Donald Trump’s repeated claim of his intervention between India and Pakistan for a ceasefire, Jaishankar said that it was only New Delhi and Islamabad that “directly negotiated" the ceasefire, which the Indian government calls an “understanding".

Jaishankar said that several countries were in touch with India when Operation Sindoor was underway between May 7 and 10, stressing that “the US was not alone". He highlighted that India told every other country, including the United States, that if Pakistan wanted a ceasefire, they would communicate it to India directly.

When asked where the United States was in the process, the EAM responded, “US was in the United States".  "I mean Vance spoke to PM,  Rubio spoke to me saying they were talking to Pakistanis .. US was not alone many other countries were in touch. When two countries are engaged it is natural that counties call," Jaishankar told Hoorn.

Jaishankar said The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), based in Pakistan, claimed responsibilty for the attack. "That body has been on our radar for a long time.  Before the April 22 attack,  we drew the UN attention to it.  We know they are linked to Lashkar," he said.

India and Pakistan agreed to halt the military operations along the Line of Control and the International Border after the Pakistani DGMO reached out to his Indian counterpart, seeking a ceasefire on May 10.