Senior Indian officials on Tuesday dismissed US President Donald Trump’s claim that his administration single-handedly brokered a ceasefire between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan, who of late have engaged in armed conflict across their shared border.
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The officials further suggested India had briefed all key partners, including its fellow Quad members, about its military actions against “terror bases” in Pakistan.
Beijing has long opposed the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue – an informal strategic forum comprising the US, India, Australia and Japan aimed at upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific – which sees the bloc as trying to counter its influence in the region and fanning “artificial tensions”. China is an ally of Pakistan.
Though not a formal alliance, the Quad holds regular joint military exercises, and its members collaborate on shared security interests. India and the US have also deepened bilateral defence ties, including intelligence sharing.
The senior Indian officials on Tuesday added that New Delhi’s top diplomat, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, maintained “daily” contact with the Trump administration on India’s response to Pakistan’s “provocations”.
But these interactions were “only to brief them on what we have done” rather than mediations, they said, speaking on background.