Pakistan FM Ishaq Dar disputes Trump’s claim on India-Pakistan ceasefire

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has contradicted US President Donald Trump’s claim on brokering an India-Pakistan ceasefire, saying that India has been categorically stating that it will never accept any third-party mediation regarding any issues related to Pakistan and has made it clear that it will always be bilateral.

‘India told Rubio it was a bilateral issue’

Speaking to Al Jazeera in an interview, Dar also said that on the morning of May 10, he received a call from the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who told him that very soon there would be dialogue between him and India at a neutral venue.

Dar also said that when he met Rubio on July 25 in Washington during a bilateral meeting, he asked him about the dialogue with India, but was told that India had said that it was a bilateral issue.

“Incidentally, when the ceasefire offer came through, Secretary Rubio told me on May 1,0 around 8.17 in the morning, I was told that there would be very soon, I was told that ‘very soon there will be dialogue between you and India at an independent place,” said Dar.

“When we met on July 25, in a bilateral meeting between me and Secretary Rubio in Washington, I asked him what happened to the dialogue. He said that India says that it’s a bilateral issue,” he added.

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'Not averse to bilateral talks with India'

Despite thanking the US for its “very positive role” in the India-Pakistan military conflict, Dar said that Pakistan has never asked anyone for a ceasefire.

“We must appreciate the very positive role the US played during the India-Pakistan war,” said Dar.

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The Pakistani minister also said that Islamabad is not averse to holding bilateral talks with New Delhi, adding that the talks have to be comprehensive.

“Well, we don’t mind. But India has been categorically stating that its bilateral. So, we don’t mind bilateral. But the dialogues have to be comprehensive,” said Dar.

Since May, Trump has been repeatedly claiming that a potential “nuclear war” was averted due to the mediation by his administration.