External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday briefed members of a Parliamentary Consultative Committee on the government’s diplomatic and military posture during the recent escalation with Pakistan. According to sources, Jaishankar told the committee that New Delhi’s consistent message to foreign governments concerned about the tensions was simple: “They fire, we fire. They stop, we stop”.
Amid growing international concern earlier this month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio conveyed intelligence inputs suggesting that Pakistan might carry out a major strike in India.
“We responded firmly. If Pakistan attempts a major offensive, it should be prepared for an equally strong counter-offensive,” Jaishankar told the Parliamentary panel, sources said.
On the ceasefire announcement, Jaishankar clarified that it was a direct outcome of military-level engagement between the two sides, not foreign mediation.
“The ceasefire was the result of Pakistani Director General of Military Operations-level talks,” he said, adding that the Pakistani DGMO initiated contact with Indian armed forces. Jaishankar’s remark contradicted claims made by US President Donald Trump, who had said the de-escalation was brokered by Washington.
In today’s briefing, Jaishankar also addressed the geopolitical alignments that surfaced during the standoff. “Only Turkey and Azerbaijan stood openly with Pakistan,” he told the committee, adding that “a large number of countries either publicly backed India or, at the very least, supported us on the issue of cross-border terrorism”.
On China’s position, sources quoted Jaishankar as saying that while Beijing has traditionally maintained close ties with Islamabad, this time, it did not extend unambiguous support to Pakistan.
Earlier this month, government sources revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had delivered a strong message to US Vice President JD Vance during a call. “If they attack, we will attack stronger,” PM Modi reportedly told Vance.
India had also conveyed that any engagement with Pakistan would be limited to discussions about the return of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), the dismantling of terror infrastructure, and the handover of wanted terrorists.
Tensions rose between India and Pakistan after April 22 when a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam killed 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists. India responded with strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and POK, prompting retaliatory action from Islamabad. Tensions escalated rapidly, spilling into drone incursions and air force dogfights.
A ceasefire, announced jointly by India and Pakistan on May 10, marked a pause in hostilities, with India maintaining that the initiative for talks came from Pakistan, not as a result of any third-party involvement. (IndiaToday)
