New Delhi (National Times): Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reiterated that India has never accepted, and will never accept, any third-party mediation on the Kashmir issue. This strong message was conveyed to U.S. President Donald Trump during a 35-minute phone call late Tuesday, according to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
The conversation took place while PM Modi was in Canada for the G7 Summit and came at Trump’s request, primarily to discuss details of Operation Sindoor—India’s military retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack, which targeted terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
“Prime Minister Modi made it unequivocally clear that the issue of Jammu and Kashmir is strictly bilateral. India has never accepted third-party mediation, and that position will not change,” said Misri during a press briefing Wednesday morning. He also emphasized that this stance enjoys complete political consensus across party lines in India.
The comment is seen as a pointed response to President Trump’s repeated claims of influencing a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after Operation Sindoor, and his offer to mediate on the Kashmir issue—something Delhi has consistently rejected.
During the call, PM Modi explained that India’s military action had been measured and precisely targeted at terrorist infrastructure, avoiding escalation. He also clarified that the ceasefire was initiated at Pakistan’s request and facilitated through direct military-to-military communication, negating any external involvement, including that of the U.S.
The Prime Minister also dismissed speculation that a proposed India-U.S. trade deal had influenced the ceasefire, calling such suggestions “baseless.” Reports had claimed Trump had leveraged tariffs on Indian and Pakistani exports to force a halt in hostilities, which Modi denied.
Meanwhile, President Trump has invited PM Modi to visit Washington after the G7 summit. However, due to prior commitments, the Prime Minister had to decline. Misri noted that the phone call served as a replacement for an in-person meeting that had been planned during the summit but couldn’t take place after Trump left Canada early amid mounting tensions in the Middle East.
The call also gains significance in light of Trump’s scheduled meeting with Pakistani Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir at the White House. The timing has raised eyebrows as regional tensions involving Iran—Pakistan’s neighbor—continue to grow, with fears of a broader conflict potentially drawing in U.S. forces.
Although officially termed as a bilateral visit, General Munir’s U.S. trip marks the first such engagement since the Pahalgam attack, which Indian intelligence agencies believe was orchestrated by Pakistan’s deep state.
India has firmly stated that any future discussions with Pakistan will be limited to issues concerning terrorism and the return of Indian territory in PoK. “If talks ever happen, they will be about terror and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir—nothing else,” PM Modi had said in a prior national address following the conclusion of Operation Sindoor.
The Modi-Trump phone call reaffirms India’s resolute stance on its sovereignty and counters growing international chatter around foreign mediation in South Asia’s most volatile dispute.
