India Refused Third-Party Mediation In Truce Talks, Pakistan Foreign Minister Admits

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar publicly stated that India never agreed to any third-party involvement in truce talks, following the military action that was undertaken in Operation Sindoor.

"India never agreed to any third-party mediation," Dar said in an interview with Al Jazeera, adding that while Pakistan remains open to dialogue, New Delhi has not responded.

Dar's comment came in response to a direct question on whether any negotiations with India were ongoing and whether a third party was involved. He clarified that Pakistan doesn't oppose third-party involvement, but India has "categorically maintained" that all issues must be dealt with bilaterally.

Dar revealed that a ceasefire offer was conveyed via the United States, and there was a suggestion for India and Pakistan to meet at a neutral venue. However, when he asked US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about this during a meeting on July 25 in Washington, Rubio stated clearly that India insists the issue is bilateral.

"When the ceasefire offer came on May 10, Rubio told me dialogue would happen soon. But by July 25, he said India maintains it is a bilateral issue," Dar said.

India's official position has consistently rejected any external mediation. Instead, India maintains that the truce was prompted only after Pakistan's military reached out directly to Indian counterparts.

Soon after US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on May 10 claiming he had brokered a ceasefire, India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri held a press conference to clarify that the understanding to halt strikes came only after Pakistan requested it.

"The Director-General of Military Operations of Pakistan called the DGMO of India at 03:35 p.m. It was agreed both sides would stop all firing and military action… from 05:00 p.m. today," Misri said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also confirmed that an understanding had been reached but denied it was a ceasefire and reiterated there was no third-party involvement.

On May 10, Trump posted: "After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a Full and immediate ceasefire…"

He went further on May 31, telling reporters: "We were able to stop potentially a nuclear war through trade, not bullets… I'm very proud of that. Nobody talks about it."

Despite Trump's repeated assertions, India has firmly denied that the US played any mediatory role. PM Narendra Modi, in his May 11 national address, reaffirmed that talks with Pakistan will only address terrorism and will center around Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

India has long maintained its stance that all issues with Pakistan will be resolved bilaterally, in line with the 1971 Simla Agreement. Trump's previous claims in 2019 that Modi had asked him to mediate on Kashmir were also swiftly and publicly rejected by the Indian government.

During their meeting at the G7 Summit in France's Biarritz, Modi made it clear to Trump that no third-party mediation was acceptable, reinforcing India’s position.

Tensions between India and Pakistan peaked after the Pakistan-backed terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which killed 26 civilians. In retaliation, India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK, killing over 100 militants.

Pakistan escalated by launching strikes on Indian border towns, leading to four days of intense military action. The situation only cooled after Pakistan sought a truce, prompting India's announcement of a de-escalation.