NEW DELHI:
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi told US President Donald Trump late on Tuesday that a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after a four-day conflict in May was achieved through talks between the two militaries and not US mediation, according to India’s senior-most diplomat.
The Indian prime minister also told the US president that New Delhi will never accept third-party mediation with Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir, the India’s senior-most diplomat said.
Foreign secretary Vikram Misri said that Modi “strongly” conveyed India’s long-held stand to Trump during a phone call between the two leaders on Tuesday.
Trump has repeatedly offered to mediate between India and Pakistan to solve the “Kashmir issue” since a four-day conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May.
The White House has not commented on India’s statement.
Analysts say Trump’s very public statements on offers of mediation over Kashmir have tested Delhi’s red lines on the issue.
Delhi has always encouraged its Western partners not to treat India and Pakistan as equals. It also discourages western leaders from undertaking visits to India and Pakistan at the same time.
“PM Modi told President Trump clearly that during this period, there was no talk at any stage on subjects like India-US trade deal or US mediation between India and Pakistan,” Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said in a press statement.
“Talks for ceasing military action happened directly between India and Pakistan through existing military channels, and on the insistence of Pakistan. Prime Minister Modi emphasised that India has not accepted mediation in the past and will never do,” he said.
However, Modi’s claim that the decision to de-escalate was made on the call of Pakistan’s military has raised questions about the rationale behind the offensive in the first place with the assertion appearing to potentially undercut New Delhi’s own stance.
Misri said the two leaders were due to meet on the sidelines of G7 summit but Trump left a day early due to the situation in the Middle East. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the Modi-Trump call.
Pakistan has previously said that the ceasefire happened after its military returned a call the Indian military had initiated.
He said that Trump expressed his support for India’s fight against terrorism and that Modi told him India’s Operation Sindoor under which it launched the cross-border strikes was still on.
Trump also asked Modi if he could stop by the US on his return from Canada, Misri said, but the Indian leader expressed his inability to do so due to a pre-decided schedule.
He invited Trump to visit India later this year for the summit of the leaders of the Quad grouping, which Trump accepted, Misri said.
