External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during a Rajya Sabha discussion on Operation Sindoor, clarified that no phone calls took place between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi from April 22 to June 16. “…Main unko kehna chahta hoon, woh kaan kholke sun le. 22 April se 16 June tak, ek bhi phone call President Trump aur Prime Minister Modi ke beech mein nahi hua. (I want to tell them to listen carefully: from April 22 to June 16, not a single phone call took place between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi) ” Jaishankar said in the Upper House of Parliament.
He further emphasised India’s firm stance against mediation in India-Pakistan matters, asserting that any dialogue must be bilateral and that Pakistan must formally request a cessation of conflict through the DGMO. “…When Operation Sindoor commenced, a number of countries were in touch with us to see how serious the situation was and how long it would go… We gave the same message to all the countries… that we were not open to any mediation. Anything between us and Pakistan will only be bilateral… And that we were responding to the Pakistani attack, and we would keep responding. If that fighting was to stop, Pakistan must make a request. And that request could only come through the channel of the DGMO…,” Jaishankar said.
The Union Minister further criticised Congress and said they were “uncomfortable with history” He made the remarks while speaking about India’s decision to put the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack. Jaishankar highlighted Congress’s “mistakes” in the Rajya Sabha over the handling of the treaty while emphasising how essential this agreement was.
“The Indus Water Treaty in many ways is a very unique agreement. I cannot think of any agreement in the world where a country has allowed its major rivers to flow to the next country without having rights on that river. To recall the history of this event. Yesterday, I heard people, some people, are uncomfortable with history. They prefer that historical things be forgotten. Maybe it does not suit them, they only like to recall some things,” Jaishankar said.
Furhter the EAM targeted Jawaharlal Nehru over his statement in Parliament back in 1960 regarding the treaty. “On November 30th 1960. He (Jawaharlal Nehru) says I would like to know if this house is to judge the quantum of supply of water or money to be given. People objected to that. PM also said, ‘Let me do this treaty for the interest of Pakistani Punjab, not a word about farmers of Kashmir or Punjab. Not a word about Rajasthan or Gujarat,” Jaishankar said. He also added that PM Modi has “corrected” Jawaharlal Nehru’s “mistakes” when it comes to handling the Indus Water Treaty and Article 370.
