Jaishankar Clarifies: No Trade Linkage in Operation Sindoor Talks, Pakistan Requested Ceasefire via DGMO Channel

New Delhi, July 28, 2025: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar firmly stated in the Lok Sabha that there was never any trade-related linkage discussed with the United States concerning Operation Sindoor, India’s military response to the Pahalgam terror attack. He emphasized that the request for a halt in military action came directly from Pakistan via the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) communication channel, not as a result of any external pressure.

Intervening during a special parliamentary discussion on India’s decisive Operation Sindoor, Jaishankar underscored that India’s diplomatic outreach was key in securing global support after the Pahalgam attack. According to him, only three out of 190 United Nations member states, excluding Pakistan, opposed India’s operation, signifying overwhelming international recognition of India’s right to defend itself. “We sent a clear message our red lines had been crossed, and there would be consequences,” Jaishankar said, asserting the necessity of the military response.

He highlighted the government’s strategy in shaping the global narrative, ensuring that the focus remained on India’s legitimate counter-terrorism measures. Jaishankar explained that Operation Sindoor specifically targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and that India’s actions were “measured, focused, and non-escalatory.”

The minister also cited a diplomatic success where The Resistance Front (TRF), linked to the Pahalgam attack, was designated as a global terrorist organisation by the US a move achieved through sustained Indian diplomatic efforts.

Clarifying the timeline of communications, Jaishankar stated that no calls between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump occurred from April 22, when Trump expressed condolences, until June 17. He added that the impression from foreign nations about Pakistan’s willingness to cease hostilities was only formalized once Pakistan itself conveyed the message through the DGMO channel.

Jaishankar dismissed opposition claims about Trump’s assertion that he used trade as leverage to negotiate peace. “There was no conversation with the US that linked trade with the situation,” Jaishankar reiterated. His remarks came after Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi attacked the government for not countering Trump’s claims made “26 times” about mediating a ceasefire using trade pressure.

Jaishankar concluded by noting that the Cabinet Committee on Security decided to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty until Pakistan ends its support for terrorism, part of a broader strategy to pressurize Islamabad diplomatically and economically.