External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar has confirmed that the agreement to cease hostilities between India and Pakistan was achieved through direct communication between the two countries, without foreign mediation.&nbsp;
In an interview with Netherlands-based news outlet, Jaishankar emphasised that New Delhi made it clear to all international partners, including the United States, that any de-escalation would only occur if Pakistan initiated contact directly with the Indian military.
&ldquo;We made one thing very clear to everybody who spoke to us, not just the United States, but to everyone, saying look if the Pakistani want to stop the firing, they need to tell us, we need to hear it from them, their general has to call our general and say this and that is what happened,&rdquo; he stated.
According to the minister, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with him during the conflict, and US Vice President JD Vance held discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. &ldquo;Obviously, US Secretary of State Rubio and Vice President Vance had called up, Rubio had spoken to me, Vance had spoken to our Prime Minister, they had their view and they were talking to us and they were talking to Pakistani side as indeed were some other countries. There were some countries in the Gulf, there were some others as well,&rdquo; he said.
Jaishankar noted that it is standard diplomatic behaviour for countries to reach out when two nations are in conflict. However, he made clear that the decision to end the military confrontation was taken solely by India and Pakistan.&nbsp;
&ldquo;That happens naturally, when we know when two countries are engaged in a conflict, it is natural that the countries in the world call up, sort of indicate their concern and what they can do in such a situation but the cessation of firing and military action was something which was negotiated directly between India and Pakistan,&rdquo; he explained.
Asked whether military-to-military communication had taken place, Jaishankar confirmed that the Pakistani side initiated contact. &ldquo;Yes, we have a mechanism to talk to each other as a hotline. So, on the 10th of May, it was the Pakistani army which sent a message that they were ready to stop firing, and we responded accordingly,&rdquo; he said.
Hostilities between the two countries had intensified following a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians and left many injured. In retaliation, India launched &lsquo;Operation Sindoor&rsquo; on May 7, targeting nine locations identified as terrorist hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).&nbsp;
The strikes resulted in the deaths of over 100 terrorists associated with organisations such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.
Jaishankar affirmed that the Indian response was focused and deliberate. &ldquo;The response was there, the response targeted these nine places, where the terrorist centres, as I said, they are all, the places are all shown in the UN list, I mean this is where the terrorists work and live and operate from,&rdquo; he said.
Following India's strikes, Pakistan launched cross-border shelling across the Line of Control and attempted drone incursions. In response, India escalated operations, damaging key Pakistani military infrastructure.&nbsp;
&ldquo;After that, the Pakistani military chose to fire on us and we responded, this went on four days and after that, the decisive day was the 10th of May. On the morning of 10th May, in response to an attack which they had launched on us earlier that morning, we had hit eight airbases. We basically made these bases non-functional, you know, we hit their runways, we hit their command centres,&rdquo; Jaishankar said.
He elaborated on the scale of the Indian operation. &ldquo;This is the kind of, you hit a runway, you make the airbase non-operational or you went after what is a air-defence command control system, this is the airbase close to Rawalpindi. That I think compelled the Pakistani military to accept that we need to stop firing at each other,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;
He confirmed that firing had since ceased and both sides had repositioned forces accordingly.
When questioned whether Operation Sindoor had concluded, Jaishankar clarified that the mission remained active, though active firing had stopped. &ldquo;The operation continues because there is a clear message in that operation, that if there are acts of the kind we saw on April 22nd, there will be a response, we will hit the terrorists. If the terrorists are in Pakistan, we will hit them where they are. So, there is a message in continuing the operation. But, continuing the operation is not the same as firing on each other. Right now, there is agreed cessation of firing and military action,&rdquo; he said.
On the rationale behind India&rsquo;s actions, Jaishankar stressed the government&rsquo;s uncompromising stance on national security. &ldquo;What happened was, after the terrorists struck, it was imperative that we have a response because lack of response you understand was impossible in such a situation,&rdquo; he said.
When the interviewer suggested that previous Indian administrations had opted not to retaliate militarily, Jaishankar responded, &ldquo;And we have seen the results. So, our government has been very clear. Okay, I accept that may not be the policy of the earlier government. But, our government is very clear, if there is such an attack, there will be response.&rdquo;
He reiterated that the military targets India engaged were tied to terrorism and officially identified. &ldquo;The response targeted these nine places, where the terrorist centres, as I said, they are all, the places are all shown in the UN list, I mean this is where the terrorists work and live and operate from,&rdquo; he added.
The coordinated Indian strikes, including on airbases and defence infrastructure, led to Pakistan&rsquo;s military leadership proposing an end to hostilities. The agreement to cease firing was reached on May 10, following sustained engagement from both sides, and has held since then.
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(Left) S Jaishankar and Donald Trump (Right)

Direct talks between Indian and Pakistani generals led to cessation of hostilities, confirms Jaishankar.

India-Pakistan Ceasefire Result of Direct Military Call: Jaishankar

Direct talks between Indian and Pakistani generals led to cessation of hostilities, confirms Jaishankar.

May 22, 2025 | 13:44 IST