India-Pak understanding on cessation of hostilities reached
India-Pak understanding on cessation of hostilities reached bilaterally: EAM Jaishankar
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that India-Pakistan understanding on cessation of hostilities was arrived at following direct negotiations between the two sides
NEW DELHI — The India-Pakistan understanding on cessation of hostilities was
arrived at following direct negotiations between the two sides, External
Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said against the backdrop of US President
Donald Trump's claim that Washington played a role in brokering the truce.
Jaishankar also said that India will again hit terrorists
in Pakistan in response to any future terror strikes like the one in Pahalgam,
suggesting that it was the reason why Operation Sindoor has not been concluded.
In an interview to Dutch broadcaster NOS, he said that
the government was very clear that "if there is such an attack, there will
be a response".
Jaishankar was in The Hague as part of his three-nation
tour of the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany.
"The operation continues because there is a clear
message in that operation - that if there are
acts of the kind we saw on April 22, there will be a response, that we will hit
the terrorists," he said.
"If the terrorists are in Pakistan, we will hit them
where they are. So, there is a message in continuing the operation but
continuing the operation is not the same as firing on each other," he
said.
Under Operation Sindoor, India carried out precision
strikes on nine terror infrastructures early on May 7 in response to the April
22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Following the Indian action, Pakistan attempted to attack
Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10. The Pakistani attempts were strongly
responded to by the Indian side.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on May 10 announced that
India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all firings and military
actions on land, air and sea, with immediate effect.
In his remarks, Jaishankar said the arrangement on
cessation of hostilities was firmed up by the Indian and the Pakistani sides.
"When two countries are engaged in a conflict, it is
natural that countries in the world call up and try to sort of indicate their
concern," he said.
Jaishankar added: "But the cessation of firing and
military action was something which was negotiated directly between India and
Pakistan."
"We made one thing very clear to everybody who spoke
to us, not just the US but to everybody, saying if the Pakistanis want to stop
fighting, they need to tell us. We need to hear it from them. Their general has
to call up our general and say this. And that is what happened."
Following the cessation of hostilities between India and
Pakistan, Trump repeatedly claimed credit for it saying that he played a role
in brokering the "ceasefire" between the two sides.
In his comments, Jaishankar described the April 22
Pahalgam attack as "barbaric" and said the terrorists
"murdered" the innocent civilians in front of their families after
ascertaining their "faith" with an aim to to create "religious
discord".
"It was imperative that we have a response because
the lack of response...was impossible in such a situation," he said.
Jaishankar said India is willing to hold talks with
Pakistan on return of the illegally occupied part of Kashmir by that country to
New Delhi, and on terrorism.
Asked about security concerns emanating from frontiers
along China and Pakistan on India's economic growth, Jaishankar indicated that
economic growth and security are part of the same coin.
"Our security challenges were far more threatening
than yours (Europe's). So we had to prioritise security. You don't choose
between security and economic prosperity. Today, you are realising that they
are part of the same coin."
