No nuclear threat, No US hand: India-Pakistan ceasefire a bilateral call, says Indian Foreign Secretary

In a closed-door briefing to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri unequivocally stated that the recent military confrontation between India and Pakistan unfolded strictly within the conventional domain — with no nuclear posturing from Islamabad — and that the May 10 ceasefire agreement was a bilateral decision, independent of foreign intervention.

The high-stakes briefing, held on May 19 under the chairmanship of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, comes amid controversy surrounding the United States' claims of having brokered peace.

Just days earlier, US President Donald Trump asserted that Washington facilitated an "immediate and full ceasefire" following intense overnight negotiations. That claim has been met with sharp skepticism in Indian political circles.

According to sources present at the two-hour meeting, Misri firmly denied any external mediation. “There was no involvement of the United States in bringing about the ceasefire,” he is reported to have told the panel. “This was a decision taken mutually between India and Pakistan.”

Ceasefire without warning

The Foreign Secretary also clarified that Pakistan was not informed in advance of Operation Sindoor, India’s recent precision strike targeting terrorist infrastructure across the border. This contradicts statements from External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who previously suggested prior intimation to Islamabad. Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, had accused the government of misleading the public—a claim the Ministry of External Affairs dismissed as a “misrepresentation of facts.”

Opposition grills government on diplomatic strategy

The Opposition bench did not hold back. Members raised questions on a range of pressing concerns, including the whereabouts of terrorists responsible for the April 22 Pahalgam attack, which left 26 civilians dead. Lawmakers demanded clarity on India’s counterterrorism operations, its strategy to diplomatically isolate Pakistan, and the government’s efforts to push the US to reinstate Pakistan on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list.

One member reportedly pressed the Foreign Secretary on why India’s diplomatic narrative seemed blurred on the global stage. “We cannot allow the aggressor and the victim of terror to be seen through the same lens,” the member said.

China’s shadow and India’s response

Pakistan’s use of Chinese military platforms during the conflict was also brought up. Misri reportedly brushed aside these concerns, emphasizing India’s successful targeting of Pakistani air bases, signaling that tactical dominance had been achieved regardless of foreign military support to Islamabad.

Bipartisan presence at the panel

The panel saw the participation of MPs from across the political spectrum, including Congress’ Rajeev Shukla and Deepender Hooda, TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee, journalist-turned-MP Sagarika Ghose, AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi, and BJP’s Aparajita Sarangi and Arun Govil.

As tensions simmer quietly behind diplomatic curtains, Misri’s firm assertions appear aimed at dispelling ambiguity over India’s strategic independence — and reasserting its stance as a nation capable of managing high-voltage regional conflict without external mediation or escalation into nuclear territory.