S Jaishankar On Ceasefire With Pakistan: “Credit Goes To Indian Forces, Not The US”

In a recent interview with the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar flatly denied that the United States should be credited with the recent truce between India and Pakistan. When asked if the world owed thanks to America for the de-escalation, Dr. Jaishankar stated that the Indian military deserved the credit, claiming that their resolute move forced Pakistan to agree to suspend hostilities.

"The ceasefire was arranged directly between the military commanders of both countries," Dr Jaishankar said. "Just a day prior, we had conducted precision strikes that crippled Pakistan's main airbases and neutralized their air defence systems. So, who should I thank for the ceasefire? I thank the Indian armed forces. Their response made Pakistan come forward and say, 'We are ready to stop'."

The ceasefire was announced on May 10 following a three-day flare-up of hostilities. The tensions began after India launched airstrikes on May 7 targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. Codenamed Operation Sindoor, the strikes were aimed specifically at terror camps. In response, Pakistan launched a barrage of drone attacks against Indian military positions and civilian zones. India retaliated by striking back at Pakistani military assets, inflicting substantial damage. Soon after, Pakistani military officials reached out to their Indian counterparts, leading to the agreement of a ceasefire.

While the Donald Trump administration has publicly taken credit for facilitating the ceasefire and received expressions of gratitude from Islamabad, New Delhi has consistently maintained that the U.S. involvement was limited to voicing concern. In another interview, Dr Jaishankar clarified that both U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance had reached out, but their role was minimal. "We made it absolutely clear-to the Americans and to anyone else-that if the Pakistanis wished to stop the conflict, they had to communicate that directly to us. Their general needed to contact our general. And that's exactly what happened," he stated.

When asked if the ceasefire had returned the situation to pre-conflict conditions, Dr Jaishankar said, "A strong message has been sent to terrorists-there is a cost to such attacks, like the one carried out in Kashmir in April. It was the Pakistani military that initiated the firing, and we responded in self-defence. Once they realized the repercussions of their actions, the firing ceased. There has been no change in this status for two weeks now."

Addressing concerns about the potential for nuclear escalation between the two countries, Dr Jaishankar expressed disbelief. "We were very far from any nuclear scenario," he asserted. "I'm genuinely surprised by that question. Our targets were terrorist infrastructure. These were calculated, restrained, and non-escalatory actions. It was only after that that the Pakistani military responded with fire. We demonstrated our capability by disabling their air defence. The firing stopped once they requested it. At no point did this approach nuclear dimensions."

He also pushed back against the broader assumption that every military exchange in South Asia could lead to a nuclear confrontation. "This narrative is deeply troubling. It normalizes terrorism by implying it carries no consequences. If anything, nuclear concerns are far more relevant to developments happening in other parts of the world," he said.

Dr Jaishankar's comments underscore India's stance that the ceasefire was the result of direct military engagement and not international mediation. The credit, he stressed, belongs to India's armed forces, whose effective action forced Pakistan to seek a halt to hostilities.