In a rare public admission, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that India never agreed to any third-party mediation on issues between the two countries, directly undercutting US President Donald Trump’s claim that he had brokered a ceasefire in the wake of Operation Sindoor.
“India never agreed to any third party mediation,” Dar said in an interview with Al Jazeera, adding that while Pakistan is open to dialogue with India, New Delhi has not responded.
Dar’s response came when asked, “Any negotiations happening with India? Is there any third-party involved. Are you open to third-party involvement.”
He further revealed that when Pakistan asked US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about Trump’s mediation claim, he categorically clarified that India has always maintained it is a “bilateral issue.”
Trump, who was the first one to announce a ceasefire between India and Pakistan on his social media platform Truth Social, has repeatedly claimed credit for the truce that came after four days of strikes and counter-strikes that pushed the two countries on the brink of a war. India, however, maintained that there was no third party involvement and the understanding was reached after Pakistan pleaded for a truce after India’s relentless counter-strikes post Operation Sindoor.
Dar also said that Washington had earlier conveyed a ceasefire offer in May, suggesting talks between India and Pakistan at a neutral venue. But in a follow-up meeting with Rubio in Washington, he was informed that India had not agreed to the proposal.
“When the ceasefire offer came on May 10, Rubio told me that dialogue between India and Pakistan would happen soon at an independent location. By July 25, when I asked him about it, he said India insists it is a bilateral issue,” Dar said.
“We don’t mind third-party involvement, but India has categorically been stating it’s a bilateral matter. We don’t mind bilateral, but the dialogues have to be comprehensive, on terrorism, trade, economy, Jammu and Kashmir, all subjects that we have discussed earlier,” Dar said.
“India says it is a bilateral issue. We are not begging for anything. We are a peace-loving country, and we believe dialogue is the way forward; but it takes two to tango,” Dar added, stressing that Pakistan remains willing to engage if India responds.
Tensions between India and Pakistan hit an all-time low after Pakistan’s terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam claimed 26 lives. In response, India launched Operation Sindoor, hitting nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, killing more than 100 terrorists. Pakistan escalated and launched relentless strikes on India’s border cities and got a befitting response. After four days of strikes and countries, India announced, in an official press conference, that an understanding has been reached but maintained that it was not a ceasefire.