GG News Bureau
New York, 1st July: In a sharp rebuttal to claims made by US President Donald Trump, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Monday dismissed the idea that trade pressure from the US played any role in brokering the ceasefire between India and Pakistan following Operation Sindoor, launched in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Calling the attack “an act of economic warfare” aimed at crippling tourism in Jammu and Kashmir, Jaishankar said the assault was meant to provoke religious violence and destabilize the region’s economic lifeline. He was speaking during a fireside chat with Newsweek CEO Dev Pragad in New York.
‘Tourism was the target, not just lives’
“It was meant to destroy tourism in Kashmir, which was the mainstay of the economy. It was also meant to provoke religious violence because people were asked to identify their faith before they were killed,” said Jaishankar, referring to the chilling details of the Resistance Front-led massacre.
He further emphasized that India will not tolerate terrorism just because the perpetrators are across the border. “The idea that they are on that side of the border and therefore retribution is off-limits — that’s a proposition we challenged,” he said.
Modi Unmoved by Pakistan’s Threats
In a pointed revelation, Jaishankar shared firsthand details of the high-level diplomatic exchanges that took place before the ceasefire. He was in the room when US Vice President JD Vance spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the night of May 9, warning that Pakistan was planning a massive military response.
“We did not accept certain things, and the Prime Minister was impervious to what the Pakistanis were threatening to do,” Jaishankar stated, adding that PM Modi indicated a clear intent to retaliate.
He noted that Pakistan did carry out a heavy assault that night, but Indian forces responded immediately. The following day, Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations directly contacted India’s DGMO seeking a ceasefire — not because of trade pressure, but due to India’s strong military pushback, according to Jaishankar.
Jaishankar Counters Trump’s Narrative
Jaishankar also rebutted President Trump’s public assertion that he prevented escalation between India and Pakistan by threatening to block trade deals unless both sides agreed to ceasefire.
“I can only tell you from my personal experience what happened,” said Jaishankar. “There was no link between trade talks and ceasefire decisions. The trade people are negotiating on numbers and products — they’re focused professionals. Diplomacy operates separately.”
Trump had recently claimed from The Hague, “I ended that with a series of phone calls on trade. I said, ‘Look, if you’re gonna go fighting each other … we’re not doing any trade deal.’”
Jaishankar’s remarks have added a new dimension to the debate, offering a firm and factual rebuttal from India’s top diplomat and directly contradicting the US President’s narrative.
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