In a heated session of the Lok Sabha during the Monsoon Session of Parliament on Monday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar categorically dismissed claims by US President Donald Trump that he mediated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. Addressing the House, Jaishankar clarified, “No phone call took place between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump between April 22 and June 17,” directly contradicting Trump’s assertions that he brokered peace through trade negotiations. This statement came as part of a special debate on Operation Sindoor, India’s military response to the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 civilian lives.
The discussion in Parliament was spurred by persistent demands from the Opposition, particularly the Congress and Trinamool Congress, for clarity on Trump’s repeated claims. Since May 10, when India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire, Trump has maintained that his intervention, leveraging trade deals, averted a potential nuclear conflict. He stated at a press conference in The Hague, “I ended that with a series of phone calls on trade. I said, ‘Look, if you’re going to fight each other, we’re not doing any trade deal.’” Jaishankar, however, emphasised that “at no stage, in any conversation with the United States, was there any linkage with trade,” underscoring that the ceasefire was negotiated bilaterally through direct military channels.
Operation Sindoor, launched on May 7, 2025, targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) following the Pahalgam attack, which Jaishankar described as an “act of economic warfare” aimed at crippling Kashmir’s tourism industry. The operation saw India strike nine terror sites, eliminating over 100 terrorists linked to groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. Pakistan’s retaliatory actions escalated tensions, but a ceasefire was reached on May 10 after Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations contacted his Indian counterpart to request de-escalation. Jaishankar noted, “After we retaliated to Pakistan’s attack, we got phone calls saying Pakistan was ready to stop. But we told them the request has to come from DGMO.”
The parliamentary debate was fuelled by the Opposition’s accusations that the Modi government lacked transparency. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi had previously questioned why the ceasefire was abrupt, alleging that Modi “surrendered” to external pressure, stating, “Trump gave a sign from there. He picked up his phone and said, ‘Modiji, what are you doing? Narendra ... Surrender.’ And PM Modi complied.” Similarly TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee has shot five questions on Pahalgam attack and the subsequent military operation as how did the terrorists enter the country and execute the attack without any resistance, where have they disappeared now and why after the operation was launched why wasn’t efforts made to integrate Pakistan occupied Kashmir with India- something that BJP has promised multiple times. Soon after the operation India had sent several delegation also comprising of opposition leaders across the world to highlight the success of the military operations and India’s fight against terror.
Jaishankar further revealed that only three countries- Turkey, Azerbaijan, and one unnamed nation objected to Operation Sindoor, while a majority either supported India or remained neutral on its stance against cross-border terrorism. He highlighted India’s diplomatic efforts, stating, “Seven parliamentary delegations went to 33 countries, made India proud by explaining our zero tolerance towards terror to world leaders.”
His statements followed the debate where opposition leaders like Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee mocked the government for surrendering to ceasefire while India had the potential and military strength to fight Pakistan and teach them a lesson, bring back PoK.
