'India Refused Third Party Mediation': Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar's Big Admission

Amid repeated claims by US President Donald Trump about stopping the war between India and Pakistan, a Pakistani minister has clarified in a statement that India had rejected third-party mediation. Following Trump's claims, opposition parties had cornered the Modi government on this issue both in Parliament and on the streets.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stated that India has refused to engage in dialogue with Pakistan with the assistance of any third party. When Pakistan asked US Secretary of State Marco Rubio whether India wanted third-party mediation, Rubio responded that India considers it a 'bilateral matter' and does not want mediation.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Ishaq Dar said that Pakistan wants to engage in dialogue with India, but there has been no response from the Indian side. Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and the opposition INDIA alliance have been attacking Prime Minister Modi, alleging that the ceasefire occurred due to third-party mediation.

During the same interview, Ishaq Dar declared that Pakistan, as a nuclear power, is always ready to defend Islamic nations. He also issued veiled threats to India and Israel, saying, "Pakistan has a very large and powerful army that has proven its capabilities in conventional warfare." When asked what Islamabad would do if a joint organisation were formed to stop Israel's aggression in the Middle East, he responded by stating that Pakistan is prepared to defend Islamic countries. This interview with Ishaq Dar was recorded before the Arab-Islamic Summit held in Doha.

The BJP used the Pakistani Minister's statement to attack Congress. Sharing the clip of Ishaq Dar's interview, BJP leader Amit Malviya wrote, "Rahul Gandhi, listen carefully → Pakistan's own Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told Al Jazeera that India categorically rejected any third-party ceasefire mediation. Stop peddling lies. Stop echoing Pakistan's propaganda."