India rejects Trump’s ceasefire claims, credits military action for forcing Pakistan to stand down
New Delhi: India has officially rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims that Washington brokered the recent ceasefire between India and Pakistan. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) clarified that the cessation of hostilities resulted from decisive Indian military action, not foreign mediation.
Speaking at the weekly press briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal asserted that Indian strikes on key Pakistani air bases on the morning of May 10 forced Pakistan to halt military operations.
“You will of course appreciate that early on 10th morning, we had mounted an extremely effective attack on key Pakistani air force bases. That was the reason they were now willing to stop firing and military action. Let me be clear. It was the force of Indian arms that compelled Pakistan to stop its firing,” said Jaiswal.
He added that the ceasefire’s timing and terms were finalized through communication between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both countries. A hotline request was received from the Pakistani High Commission at 12:37 PM, and the call took place at 3:35 PM following technical delays on Pakistan’s side.
Despite Trump’s claims at various public events, including the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum, that he used trade as leverage to end the conflict, Indian officials refuted any such involvement. Jaiswal confirmed that trade was not discussed in conversations between Indian and American leaders.
“The issue of trade did not come up in any of these discussions,” he said, referring to calls between U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as well as Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s discussions with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval between May 7 and May 10.
Addressing Trump’s statements about having averted a potential nuclear conflict, Jaiswal maintained that the military exchanges remained within conventional boundaries. He dismissed any suggestion of nuclear escalation, noting that reports about Pakistan’s National Command Authority meeting were later denied.
Jaiswal also reiterated India’s policy that Kashmir is a bilateral issue and not subject to third-party mediation. “That stated policy has not changed. As you are aware, the outstanding matter is the vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan,” he said.
When pressed on whether India had formally protested Trump’s remarks regarding trade, Kashmir mediation, or the nuclear angle, Jaiswal avoided a direct answer. Instead, he emphasized that India’s stance had been made clear during the briefing.
“There were conversations with other nations, and the message from India was clear and consistent. The same message conveyed on public platforms was shared in private communications as well,” he noted.
Trump had also made light of the situation, suggesting the two countries could share “a nice dinner” to improve relations. He added that both India and Pakistan had “very strong leaders” and praised his team for their role in stopping the conflict.
While Pakistan welcomed Trump’s narrative, Indian officials stressed that the world recognized India’s right to self-defence in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of Indian tourists. Jaiswal pointed to the UN Security Council’s press statement calling for accountability, though no international body explicitly named Pakistan as the perpetrator.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Strict security measures in place in Mumbai for Messi's events at 2 venues Dec 14, say police
Mumbai (PTI): In view of Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai on Sunday, the city police are implementing stringent security measures, like not allowing water bottles, metals, coins inside the stadiums and setting up watchtowers to keep an eye on the crowd, officials said.
The police also said taking extra care to avoid any stampede-like situation and to prevent recurrence of the chaotic situation that unfolded in Kolkata during Messi's visit on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of the football icon despite paying hefty sums for tickets.
Messi is expected to be present at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) in Mumbai on Sunday for a Padel GOAT Cup event followed by attending a celebrity football match. He is expected to proceed to the Wankhede Stadium for the GOAT India Tour main event around 5 pm.
"In view of Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the police are geared up and have put in place a high level of security arrangements in and around the stadiums located in south Mumbai. Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," an official said.
Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 of its personnel near and around both the venues, he said.
As the Mumbai police have the experience of security 'bandobast' during the victory parade of ICC World Cup-winning Indian team and World Cup final match at the Wankhede Stadium, in which over one lakh cricket fans had gathered, we are prepared to handle a large crowd of fans, he said.
"We are trying to avoid the errors that occurred in the past," the official said.
There is no place to sneak inside the stadiums in Mumbai like the Kolkata stadium, according to him.
The police are also asking the organisers to provide all the required facilities to the fans inside the stadium, so that there will be no chaos, he said, adding the spectators have purchased tickets in the range of Rs 5,000 to 25,000. After paying so much of amount, any spectator expects proper services, while enjoying the event, he said.
The police are expecting 33,000 spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and over 4,000 at Brabourne Stadium. Besides this, more than 30,000 people are expected outside and around the stadiums just to have a glimpse of the football sensation, he said.
The organisers responsible for Messi's India visit recently came to Mumbai to discuss security arrangements. During the meeting, the Mumbai police asked them not to take the event lightly, according to the official.
After those requirements were fulfilled, the final security deployment was chalked out, he said.
Police has the standard procedure of the security arrangements inside the Wankhede Stadium, where people are barred from taking water bottles, metals objects, coins. Police are setting up watch towers near the stadiums and there will be traffic diversions, so that there is maximum space available to stand, according to the official.
Police are also appealing to the spectators to use public transport service for commuting and avoid personal vehicles to reach south Mumbai.
To avoid any stampede-like situation, police are also taking precautionary measures and will stop the fans some distance ahead of the stadium and public announcement systems will be used to guide the crowd. Barricades will be placed at various places to manage the crowd.
In case the crowd swells up beyond expectation, the police will divert people to other grounds and preparations in this regard underway, he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in south Mumbai to tackle any kind of situation, he said.
