NEW DELHI: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju questioned the critics of India’s stance on third-party mediation concerning bilateral issues, asking if they would now take responsibility for their earlier remarks. This inquiry follows Pakistan’s acknowledgment that India had firmly rejected any external mediation during Operation Sindoor.
“Pakistan acknowledges that India declined a third-party role during Operation Sindoor. Will those who campaigned against India’s image now apologize?” Rijiju posted on social media platform X.
His comments came after Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar stated that India had clearly turned down any form of mediation for resolving bilateral matters during Operation Sindoor. This admission contradicts previous claims made by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who asserted that he brokered peace efforts between the two nations.
In an interview with Al Jazeera in Doha, Dar mentioned that although Pakistan is open to mediation, “India has categorically been stating it’s a bilateral matter.” He recounted that during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in July, the issue of dialogue with India was raised, and Rubio confirmed that India’s position has been consistently focused on bilateral discussions.
“When I met Rubio on July 25 in Washington, I asked him what happened to the dialogue. He (Rubio) said that India says it is a bilateral issue,” Dar noted.
Tensions between India and Pakistan intensified following a terrorist attack on April 22 that resulted in the deaths of 26 individuals, primarily civilians, in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam region. In response, India initiated Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The two nations reportedly reached an understanding to halt hostilities on May 10, after four days of intense cross-border conflict involving drone and missile strikes.
