‘India didn’t need persuasion': Shashi Tharoor rejects Donald Trump's repeated ceasefire mediation claims

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, leading an all-party delegation on India’s Operation Sindoor outreach, has denied any third-party mediation role in the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan. Speaking ahead of his delegation’s visit to the United States, Tharoor clarified that India did not require persuasion to stop the conflict, emphasizing that India never wanted war and had already communicated its intent to halt hostilities.

Tharoor stated that if any American efforts took place to encourage a ceasefire, they would have been directed at Pakistan. “No one needed to persuade us to stop. We had already said to stop. If there was any persuasion by the American president or his senior officials, it would have been persuasion of the Pakistanis,” he said. The Congress leader highlighted that India’s stance was focused on peace and development rather than conflict escalation.

Operation Sindoor was launched by Indian armed forces on May 7 in response to a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22, which killed 26 civilians. The operation involved targeted strikes against terrorist infrastructures inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), reportedly eliminating over 100 terrorists linked to groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba. India maintained that these actions were acts of retribution and not an initiation of war.

Following Operation Sindoor, Pakistan attempted retaliatory military actions involving cross-border shelling, drones, and aerial vehicles, but these were thwarted by Indian defenses. Intense cross-border fighting continued for four days until May 10, when an understanding to cease hostilities was reached. India clarified that the ceasefire agreement resulted from a direct communication between the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of Pakistan and his Indian counterpart, not from any external mediation.

Tharoor also addressed the diplomatic efforts surrounding Operation Sindoor, noting that India formed seven bipartisan delegations to explain the operation and counter Pakistan’s support for terrorism internationally. He mentioned the upcoming simultaneous presence of both Indian and Pakistani delegations in Washington, aiming to engage with U.S. lawmakers and officials to present their respective national positions. Tharoor reiterated India’s commitment to peace and focus on development in all diplomatic engagements.