“India Doesn’t Need Persuasion”: Shashi Tharoor Rebuts Trump’s Ceasefire Claim

GG News Bureau
Washington, D.C., 3rd June: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday refuted U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent assertion that he played a pivotal role in halting military hostilities between India and Pakistan. Tharoor emphasized that India had no intention of prolonging the conflict and needed no external persuasion to stop.

Trump, during a press conference at the Oval Office last Friday, claimed credit for averting what he described as a “potential nuclear war” between the two South Asian nations through diplomacy and trade efforts. He called it the “deal” he was most proud of.

Responding during his visit to the U.S. as part of a parliamentary delegation, Tharoor said, “We have enormous respect for the American presidency, but our understanding is different. India had consistently maintained since May 7 that it did not wish to escalate the conflict.” He referred to the Indian armed forces’ pre-dawn missile strikes under Operation Sindoor, which were carried out to avenge the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives.

Tharoor clarified that India’s objective was retribution against terror, not war. “If Pakistan had not reacted, we would not have reacted,” he told ANI.

He asserted that any diplomatic persuasion was likely aimed at Pakistan. “We don’t need to be persuaded because we don’t want war. We want to focus on development. That’s the basic message,” Tharoor said, underlining India’s zero-tolerance policy on terrorism.

The ceasefire between India and Pakistan was agreed upon on May 10 following intense cross-border hostilities that included missile and drone exchanges. Indian defence officials have maintained that the truce was the outcome of direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both nations — not foreign intervention.

Trump’s remarks have drawn sharp reactions in India, particularly from opposition leaders questioning the Modi government’s silence on the matter. However, the Ministry of External Affairs has repeatedly denied any third-party mediation and reiterated India’s commitment to bilateral resolution mechanisms.

Tensions had soared after India identified cross-border links in the Pahalgam attack, prompting a swift and calibrated military response targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).