- By Shivangi Sharma
- Tue, 16 Sep 2025 07:17 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has admitted that Islamabad sought a ceasefire following India’s Operation Sindoor, but insisted that New Delhi never accepted any third-party mediation in the matter. His remarks contradict US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that he personally brokered peace between India and Pakistan during the operation.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Dar explained that while the United States had conveyed a ceasefire proposal in May, India rejected the idea of holding talks at a neutral venue. He recalled a meeting in Washington on July 25 with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, where he was informed that India maintained its long-standing position that disputes with Pakistan are strictly bilateral.
“When I met Secretary Rubio in Washington, I asked him about the status of dialogue between India and the US over the conflict. Rubio replied that India said it is a bilateral issue,” Dar revealed.
Dar stressed that Islamabad did not oppose third-party involvement but reiterated that New Delhi has consistently refused any outside mediation, refuting Trump’s claims.
Pakistan’s Position On Dialogue
“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.
He added that Pakistan remains open to dialogue, but insisted that issues cannot be resolved unless talks cover the full spectrum of disputes, including Kashmir.
Operation Sindoor And Ceasefire
Operation Sindoor, launched by India on May 7, 2025, targeted terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in response to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which killed 26 people. The strikes triggered four days of heavy clashes along the border.
According to Dar, the fighting came to an end on May 10, only after Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) reached out to request a ceasefire. India, meanwhile, has repeatedly clarified that the truce was achieved through direct DGMO-level communication, not through foreign mediation.
India has consistently refuted Trump’s claims of mediation, maintaining that all outstanding issues with Pakistan, including ceasefires, are to be handled bilaterally.