By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has dismissed Indian assertions that its Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar had requested a ceasefire after a tense 87-hour military standoff between the nuclear-armed neighbour last month.
The clash, halted by a US-brokered truce, was among the most perilous escalations in years, stoking global concerns over the potential for nuclear conflict.
The confrontation erupted when India launched missile strikes on Pakistani territory, alleging they were reprisals for an April attack on tourists in Pahalgam, in Indian occupied Kashmir, a charge Pakistan denies. Islamabad retaliated with a counteroffensive, Operation “Bunyan um Marsoos” (Iron Wall), downing at least six Indian jets, including advanced Rafale fighters, as both sides reported casualties and widespread damage.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office sharply contested India’s narrative late Friday. “We categorically reject claims that Pakistan sought a ceasefire following the Indian aggression,” the Foreign Office said in a statement released late Friday, emphasizing that Pakistan’s military response was a decisive exercise of its right to self-defence.
The statement detailed the diplomatic efforts that led to the ceasefire, crediting “friendly states,” notably the United States and Saudi Arabia, for their roles in de-escalation.
According to the statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted Dar at approximately 8:15 a.m. on May 10, 2025, informing him that India was prepared to halt hostilities if Pakistan reciprocated. Dar confirmed Pakistan’s willingness, a stance reaffirmed roughly 45 minutes later when Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal reached out to Dar with the same message from India and sought confirmation of Pakistan’s position.
“The sequence of events clearly demonstrates that Pakistan did not initiate or ask anyone for a ceasefire but agreed to it when around 0815 am on 10th May 2025, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the DPM/FM, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, and informed that India is ready to ceasefire if Pakistan is willing,” the statement said. “The DPM/FM confirmed Pakistan’s acceptance and later around 9 am Saudi FM Prince Faisal also called DPM/FM and informed the same about India and sought same confirmation which Secretary of State Marco Rubio had sought earlier.”
The United States has emerged as a pivotal player in the resolution, with President Trump publicly reiterating his offer to mediate the decades-old Kashmir dispute,a proposal echoed by the U.S. State Department. Pakistan has repeatedly praised Trump’s involvement, with officials in Islamabad crediting him for helping secure the ceasefire. India, however, has dismissed any suggestion of US intervention, insisting the cessation of hostilities stemmed solely from bilateral dynamics.
The clash marks the latest chapter in a fraught history between Pakistan and India, which have clashed in multiple wars since gaining independence from British rule in 1947. Two of those conflicts centered on Kashmir, a Himalayan territory both nations claim in its entirety but administer in parts, divided by a heavily militarized Line of Control.
Tensions over Kashmir have long fueled mutual distrust, with each side accusing the other of fomenting unrest. India’s claim of Pakistani involvement in the Pahalgam attack—a charge Islamabad denies—set the stage for the recent flare-up, which analysts feared could spiral into a nuclear exchange given the advanced arsenals both countries possess.
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