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India has categorically stated that all matters pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir are bilateral issues between India and Pakistan and no third party intervention is needed.

The official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Randhir Jaiswal was reacting to media queries two days after US President Donald Trump said that he would work with India and Pakistan to see if a solution can be arrived at regarding Kashmir.

Randhir Iaiswal added that “the outstanding matter of the vacation of the illegally occupied territory of POJK”.

The MEA Spokespersodn also added that that it was the Pakistan High Commission that approached the Indian Ministry of External Affairs on 10th May 2025 just after noon, to initiate a talk between their Directors General of Military Operations, for cessation of hostilities.

“The specific date, time and wording of the understanding was worked out between the DGMOs of the two countries at their phone call on 10th May 2025 commencing 1535 hrs.

“The request for this call was received by the MEA from the Pakistani High Commission at 1237 hrs.

“The Pakistani side had initial difficulties connecting the hotline to the Indian side for technical reasons. The timing was then decided based on the availability of the Indian DGMO at 1535 hrs,” he said.

On the issue of talks between India and Pakistan, he said:

“We have a long-standing national position that any issues pertaining to the Union territory of J&K have to be addressed by India and Pakistan bilaterally. That stated policy has not changed. As you are aware – the outstanding matter is the vacation of the illegally occupied territory by Pakistan.”

He said that Pakistan’s capitulation came following the barrage of fierce attacks launched by India on Pakistani airbases.

“You will of course appreciate that early on 10th morning, we had mounted an extremely effective attack on key Pakistani Air Force bases. That was the reason they were now willing to stop firing and military action.

“Let me be clear. It was the force of Indian arms that compelled Pakistan to stop its firing,” he said.

To a question on what countries were conveying to India, during the hostilities, he said:

“As regards the conversations with other nations, the message from India was clear and consistent.

“And exactly the same message that we were conveying from public platforms was the one conveyed in private conversations.

“It was that India was responding to the 22nd April terrorist attack by targeting the terrorist infrastructure. However, if the Pakistani armed forces fire, Indian armed forces will fire back; if Pakistan stops, India will also stop.

“This was also the message that was conveyed to the Pakistani side at the time of the commencement of Operation Sindoor, which was not heeded to by the Pakistani side at that time.

“It is natural that many foreign leaders who heard this from us would have shared it with their Pakistani interlocutors.”

It may be recalled that two days back on 11th of May 2025, the US President Donald Trump had said he is proud that the USA was able to help India and Pakistan arrive at the ceasefire agreement, and added that he would work with both countries to see if a solution can be arrived at regarding Kashmir.

In a post on his Truth Social, the US President said: “Additionally, I will work with you both (India and Pakistan) to see if, after a “thousand years,” a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir.”