Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has categorically made it clear to U.S. President Donald Trump that India will treat any act of terror coming from Pakistan as not just a proxy war, but as a sheer act of aggression.
The message was relayed during a 35-minute telephonic conversation between the two leaders, the first such interaction between them after the Pahalgam terror attack and India's Operation Sindoor.
Misri clarified that PM Modi reiterated India's continuous position against third-party mediation in its conflict with Pakistan. "The Prime Minister reaffirmed that India does not seek and will never accept third-party mediation on matters related to Pakistan," he stated.
President Trump, as per Misri, accepted and entirely respected the stance of India, expressing his support for the country's fight against terrorism. Modi also updated him that Operation Sindoor—India's retaliatory military operation—is ongoing.
The two leaders had originally intended to have an in-person meeting on the margins of the G7 Summit. But that was pre-empted by President Trump's pre-emptive departure, so they had a call, as indicated by Misri, which was requested by the U.S. President.
PM Modi took the opportunity to update Trump on India's response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 civilians. The attack was said to have been conducted by The Resistance Front, a group suspected of being based in Pakistan and affiliated with the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Misri shared details of the Prime Minister’s remarks: “PM Modi said that on the night of May 6–7, India carried out precision strikes targeting only terrorist facilities in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The operation was carefully calibrated and non-escalatory in nature.”
He further quoted the Prime Minister as saying, “India had made it clear it would answer Pakistan’s ‘goli’ (bullets) with ‘gola’ (artillery).”
Operation Sindoor entailed Indian troops disabling nine major terror infrastructure facilities in Pakistan and PoK. Pakistan retaliated by attacking Indian military installations, among other civilian and religious sites in India, taking tensions further.
Misri revealed that on May 9, US Vice President Vance had warned PM Modi that Pakistan could launch a huge retaliatory attack at any moment. Modi, in response, said decisively: "If such an attack is made, India will retaliate with even more force."
India's own counter-offensive between May 9 and 10 did serious damage to Pakistan's army, reportedly crippling some of their airbases.
Subsequent to these events, Misri stated that Pakistan approached India asking for a ceasefire. "The Prime Minister explained the ceasefire was requested by Pakistan and reaffirmed that no negotiations including mediation or trade talks with the U.S. were held during this time."
He added that de-escalation was directly coordinated between the armies of the two countries, without any third party being involved.
Reiterating India's steadfast diplomatic stance, Misri stated, "PM Modi reiterated again that India has never accepted mediation, does not accept it, and will never accept it. The position has unanimous political support throughout the Indian spectrum."
President Trump had also proposed a stopover visit by PM Modi to Washington following his visit to Canada, but the Prime Minister refused citing previous commitments. However, both leaders indicated that they may meet in the near future.
Their discussion also touched upon the most important global issues, such as the rising Iran-Israel conflict and the conflict in Ukraine. The two leaders concurred that there is a need for direct communication between Russia and Ukraine to bring about peace.
"They also discussed progress in the Indo-Pacific region and the importance of the QUAD alliance," Misri added, "Prime Minister Modi invited President Trump to visit India for the next QUAD summit, and President Trump agreed to that invitation."
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