Monitoring Desk
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has rejected claims that the United States played any mediating role in the recent ceasefire with Pakistan, despite repeated assertions by former US President Donald Trump and acknowledgments by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
According to Indian media reports, Misri made the statement during a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs, led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. He said the decision to de-escalate was taken bilaterally and that Pakistan itself had proposed the ceasefire.
“New Delhi had routine diplomatic contacts with the US, but there was no mediation,” Misri was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times, citing an unnamed senior lawmaker.
His comments directly contradict Trump’s public claims that he helped “settle” the conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also recently thanked Trump for what he called a “sincere role” in diffusing tensions following the deadly Pahalgam attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir.
Committee members questioned the Indian government’s silence on Trump’s repeated statements. “Why did India allow Trump to seize the narrative?” one lawmaker asked, according to India Today. Misri reportedly offered no response to such queries during the closed-door session.
Sources quoted by Press Trust of India said Misri reiterated the government’s position that no third party was involved and that the ceasefire was a bilateral decision.
On the security front, Misri said the recent military standoff remained strictly within the conventional domain, with “no nuclear signalling” from Pakistan. This comes despite earlier remarks by Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warning of an “all-out war.” Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar later clarified that nuclear options were never on the table.
Misri also declined to comment on reports that six Indian aircraft were shot down by the Pakistan Air Force, citing national security concerns.
This was Misri’s first appearance before the 31-member panel, where he fielded extensive questions about India’s handling of the crisis and its diplomatic posture.
