India’s defence minister yesterday said New Delhi had ended its military conflict with Pakistan in May as it had met all its objectives and had not responded to pressure, rejecting US President Donald Trump’s claim that he brokered the truce.Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was speaking at the opening of a discussion in parliament on the April 22 attack on tourists in Kashmir in which 26 men were killed.The attack led to a fierce, four-day military conflict with Pakistan in May, the worst between the nuclear-armed neighbours in nearly three decades. "India halted its operation because all the political and military objectives studied before and during the conflict had been fully achieved,” Singh said."To suggest that the operation was called off under pressure is baseless and entirely incorrect,” he said. The Kashmir attack was the worst assault on civilians in the country since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.New Delhi said Pakistani nationals were involved in the killings and blamed Islamabad for backing them. Pakistan denied involvement and sought an independent investigation. In the latest conflict, the two sides used fighter jets, missiles, drones and other munitions, killing dozens of people, before Trump announced they had agreed to a ceasefire.Pakistan thanked Trump for brokering the agreement but India said Washington had no hand in it and that New Delhi and Islamabad had agreed between themselves to end the fighting. Indian opposition groups have questioned what they say is the intelligence failure behind the Kashmir attack and the government’s inability to capture the assailants – issues they are expected to raise during the parliament discussion. They have also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for coming under pressure from Trump and agreeing to end the fighting, along with reports that Indian jets were shot down during the fighting.
July 29, 2025 | 11:36 AM