The government on Friday informed Parliament that the ceasefire between India and Pakistan on May 10 was not prompted by United States interference, but followed a direct military channel initiated by Islamabad.

Responding to a written query in the Lok Sabha on whether “the ceasefire between India and Pakistan was arrived at the behest of the US interference just after three days of operations against Pakistan when the Indian Armed Forces had the upper hand in the conflict,” Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh offered a clarification.

“All our interlocutors were given a common message that India’s approach was focused, measured and non-escalatory,” Singh said.

He added that the “cessation of firing and military activity” came after a conversation between the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both countries. “This contact was initiated by the Pakistani side,” Singh said.

India, the minister added, had already met its key objectives by May 8. “India had already achieved on May 8 the main objectives that it had set forth in terms of destroying designated terrorism infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

The military exchange followed the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Singh noted that between that date and May 10, “there were a number of diplomatic conversations with various countries at different levels, including with the United States.”

He clarified that discussions with the US did not involve trade or negotiation pressure related to the conflict. “With specific regard to the US, it was conveyed to Vice President J.D. Vance on May 9 that India would appropriately respond if Pakistan launched a major attack. The issue of our trade discussions did not come up in the context of conversations pertaining to the conflict,” Singh stated.

On the issue of third-party mediation, the government reiterated its consistent position. “Our long standing position remains that any outstanding issue with Pakistan will be discussed only bilaterally. This has been made clear to all nations, including by the Prime Minister to the US President,” Singh told the House.

On May 10, MEA had confirmed that the Pakistani Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) called the Indian DGMO on May 10 to propose a cessation of hostilities.

Since May, Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for brokering the India-Pakistan ceasefire, stating that the United States facilitated negotiations leading to a "full and immediate ceasefire" after a "long night of talks mediated by the United States".

Congress and Opposition parties have strongly criticised Trump's repeated claims of brokering the ceasefire, focusing their criticism especially on PM Modi's lack of response. Rahul Gandhi has accused the Prime Minister of "remaining silent" despite Trump making the assertion "25 times," and has questioned the government's transparency by saying, “Kuch toh daal mein kaala hai” (there’s something fishy).