New Delhi, May 22: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday stated that the cessation of firing and military action was negotiated directly between India and Pakistan, and the ceasefire understanding was reached after the adversary nation made the "first move".

EAM Jaishankar's statement comes in the backdrop of US President Donald Trump's repeated claims that his administration brokered the ceasefire between the nuclear-armed nations, after long hours of talks.

In an interview with Netherlands-based NOS, he said the United States was not alone, but many other countries reached out, between May 7 to May 10, in the wake of Operation Sindoor.

He added that it is natural for other countries to set up communication channels with nations engaged in military conflict.

"US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to me while US Vice President JD Vance spoke to PM Modi," the EAM said.

Shedding light on how the understanding was reached, he stated that the Indian government sent out a clear message that "If Pakistan wants to stop firing, their general has to call up our general, and that is how it happened."

He said that India told every other nation, including the United States, that if Pakistan wanted a ceasefire, they should communicate with India directly.

S. Jaishankar's statement reiterates the government's stand that the understanding was reached after Pakistan's desperate attempts to seek an end to hostilities in light of Indian forces pounding its air bases.

Opposition, however, remains unconvinced and has been demanding clarification on Trump's repeated claims on ceasefire and also asking why Prime Minister Modi is not refuting his claims.

This morning, Congress media and publicity wing head Pawan Khera shared a video of Trump and said this is the eighth time President Trump has claimed that he got the Operation Sindoor "stopped".

"He claims to have used trade to get India to end Operation Sindoor. Prime Minister Modi has not rejected this claim even once. What does this silence mean?" Khera wrote in a post on X.

During a meeting with visiting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Oval Office last night, Trump said, "If you take a look at what we just did with Pakistan and India. We settled that whole, and I think I settled it through trade."

On May 10, when the understanding was reached, Trump had claimed that India and Pakistan agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire after a long night of talks "mediated" by Washington.

(IANS)

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