Nukes weren’t option: MEA rebuts Trump claim

India on Tuesday refuted US President Donald Trump’s recent statement of averting a nuclear war saying “that was never an option”, and also rejected his claims of using “stoppage of trade” as a bait to broker peace between India and Pakistan.

Trump’s claims of setting up a meeting of the two nuclear-armed neighbours at a neutral venue were also rebuffed by Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

Addressing the media, Jaiswal said, “We have a long-standing position that all issues pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir have to be addressed by India and Pakistan bilaterally. That stated policy has not changed. The only outstanding matter between the two countries was the vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan.”

Jaiswal said from the time Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7 till the time the two sides agreed to cessation of firing and military action on May 10, there were conversations between Indian and US leaders on the evolving military situation. “The issue of trade did not come up in any of these discussions,” Jaiswal said. Speaking in Washington on Monday, Trump had claimed that he told India and Pakistan “let’s stop it (the skirmish); if you stop it, we’re doing trade; if you don’t stop it, we’re not going to do any trade”. At the same event, Trump had said he averted a nuclear war.

Jaiswal refuted this too saying, “India’s military action was entirely in the conventional domain.” He cited how Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar denied reports on the Pakistan’s National Command Authority (which decides nuclear option) having met.

“India has a firm stance that it will not give in to nuclear blackmail or allow cross-border terrorism to be conducted invoking it,” said Jaiswal. Citing the sequence of events, he said the specific date, time and wording of the understanding (to cease hostilities) was worked out between the DGMOs of the two countries after their phone call on May 10 at 3.35 pm. A request for this call was received by the MEA from the Pakistani High Commission at 12.37 pm, he said.

The same morning, India had mounted an extremely effective attack on key Pakistani airbases. “That was the reason Pakistan was willing to stop firing and military action…. It was the force of Indian arms that compelled Pakistan to stop its firing”, said Jaiswal, further distancing from Trump’s claims.

On the Indus Waters Treaty, Jaiwal said the treaty was the spirit of goodwill and friendship. “Pakistan has held these principles in abeyance by its promotion of cross-border terrorism for decades. India will keep the treaty in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism,” he said.