India dismisses US role in ceasefire with Pakistan amid Operation Sindoor

New Delhi. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told a parliamentary panel on May 19 that the recent ceasefire between India and Pakistan following Operation Sindoor was a “strictly bilateral” development, with no third-party involvement, including from the US. He also dismissed speculation of any nuclear posturing by Islamabad during the standoff.

The ceasefire came in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, launched by Indian forces in retaliation for the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which claimed 26 innocent lives, most of them tourists. The Resistance Front (TRF), which is an offshoot of Pakistan-based, UN-designated, Islamist terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has claimed responsibility for the attack.

On May 7, India launched Operation Sindoor with missile strikes targeting the alleged terrorist training camps and infrastructure of Pakistan-based militant groups Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba.

After a four-day military conflict, both India and Pakistan announced that a ceasefire had been agreed after a hotline communication between their Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) on May 10.

Responding to questions from members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, Misri said that the decision to de-escalate was reached through direct communication between India and Pakistan.

“No foreign government facilitated the ceasefire,” Misri made it clear.

His remarks were aimed at dispelling media speculation that Washington played a behind-the-scenes role in urging both the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours to step back from the brink. Misri categorically stated there had been no credible evidence of nuclear signalling or alerts from Pakistan’s strategic forces during the period of heightened tension.

The Foreign Secretary emphasised that India’s response was measured but firm, adding that the military and diplomatic objectives of Operation Sindoor had been successfully achieved.

The panel also sought details on the diplomatic engagements that followed the operation. Misri informed lawmakers that India had kept key global partners informed “purely as a matter of transparency and not consultation”.

The ceasefire continues to hold along the LoC, though officials remain watchful of any renewed infiltration attempts or cross-border provocation.