India Calls Out China’s Claim: ‘Ceasefire Was Direct, No Third-Party Role’

New Delhi: India has strongly rejected China's claim that Beijing had mediated during the military standoff between India and Pakistan in May this year. New Delhi clearly said that the decision of ceasefire was taken after direct talks between the DGMOs of both the countries and there was no interference of any third country in it.

"We have already made it clear that there is no role for any third party in any bilateral issue between India and Pakistan. The decision for the current ceasefire was taken directly through the talks between the top officials of the two armies, Indian External Affairs Ministry sources said.

What is China's claim? 

The controversy began when China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi claimed during an event that Beijing had contributed to peace in many regions of the world this year, including its role in reducing tensions between India and Pakistan.

Wang Yi said that we tried to maintain peace in many areas this year. We also mediated the Myanmar-Iran nuclear deal and the Palestine-Israel crisis, as well as tensions between Pakistan and India. However, immediately after his statement, India called these claims baseless, unconstitutional, and misrepresentative.

What is the politics behind China's claim?

This is not the first time that a big country has claimed to play a role in the India-Pakistan tension. Earlier, US President Donald Trump had said many times that Washington played a role in reducing tension between India and Pakistan. According to experts, this statement of China is part of the strategy to take diplomatic credit so that it can present itself as a decisive player in global politics. But India's tough stance has given the message that New Delhi will not accept any external mediation, especially in matters related to Pakistan.

Why questions were raised on China's role?

These statements by China have come at a time when several Indian military officials have claimed that during the May tension, Beijing helped Pakistan, provided technical information, and used many weapon systems like “live testing”. The recent statement of former senior Indian Army officer Lieutenant General Rahul R. Singh was very much discussed. He had said that Pakistan was on the front line, but China was helping at every level. He was using this entire episode as a kind of live lab.

What is the background of the May clash?

This military tension increased after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22, in which 26 people were killed. After this, India launched Operation Sindoor and destroyed many terrorist hideouts inside Pakistan. According to official sources, India targeted 11 military bases in Pakistan, and after this, a ceasefire came into effect between the two countries on 10 May.

What is India's strong message?

India's latest stand clearly states that there was no third-country mediator and the ceasefire was achieved through direct negotiations. Sovereignty is paramount in India-Pakistan issues. According to New Delhi, the matter was part of India-Pakistan security talks, and attributing it to any external interference amounts to "distortion of facts."