India refused third-party mediation during Op Sindoor, admits Pak FM Dar

Pakistan's foreign minister Ishaq Dar said the US had offered mediation during Operation Sindoor, but India turned it down, reiterating the conflict was a bilateral matter

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has confirmed India’s stance that there was no third-party mediation during Operation Sindoor. His statement to Al Jazeera comes amid US President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that Washington brokered a ceasefire between New Delhi and Islamabad — a claim India has consistently denied.

 

Dar said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had called him during the conflict, offering a ceasefire and dialogue with India, but that New Delhi refused.

 

“… when the ceasefire offer came through US State Secretary Marco Rubio to me on May 10, I was told there would soon be dialogue between you and India at an independent place,” Dar said. He added that when he met Rubio in Washington on July 25, Rubio explained that “India says it’s a bilateral issue”.

 

 

Trump’s claims vs India’s position

President Trump has repeatedly claimed that he stopped the “war between India and Pakistan” by promising both countries “a lot of trade”.

 

India has rejected his assertions, reiterating that its conflict with Pakistan is strictly bilateral. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Trump on a phone call: “India has never accepted mediation, does not accept it, and will never accept it.”

 

Indian officials have pointed out that it was Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) who called his Indian counterpart on May 10 to request a ceasefire after four days of fighting.

Dar on bilateral dialogue

When asked if Pakistan is open to bilateral talks or any backchannel talks with India, Dar said they would welcome dialogue but would not “beg” for it.

 

“We are not begging for anything. If any country wants dialogue, we are happy. We are a peace-loving country. Obviously, it takes two to tango. Unless India wishes to have dialogue, we cannot force it,” he said.

 

Dar added that while Pakistan had no objection to third-party mediation, India’s consistent stand has been to keep the matter bilateral. He said dialogue would need to be comprehensive, covering terrorism, trade, the economy, Jammu and Kashmir, and related issues.

 

Operation Sindoor background 

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting nine terrorist sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK), in retaliation for the April Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.

 

Pakistan responded with retaliatory attempts, after which India struck military facilities, including air bases, which incapacitated Pakistan’s air force and air defence systems. Only then did Pakistan’s DGMO call for a ceasefire.