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.
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7 held for running fake call centre in South Kolkata
Kolkata (PTI): Seven people were arrested from the Parnashree area in the southern part of the city for allegedly running a fake call centre, a police officer said on Saturday.
Acting on a tip-off, police raided a house on Netaji Subhas Road on Friday night and found the fake call centre operating from the ground floor, he said.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused had set up a bogus company using forged documents and posed as employees of an antivirus firm to call citizens in the US, the officer said.
"The callers would gain the trust of victims and then use remote access to take control of their phones or other digital devices. The accused allegedly siphoned off large sums of money, running into millions of dollars, from victims' accounts," he said.
Five laptops, two WiFi routers, six mobile phones and four headsets were seized from the accused, he said, adding that the seven are being questioned to ascertain the full extent of the racket and to identify others involved.
