New Delhi: After it came to light that the US tried to link tariffs with the ceasefire between India and Pakistan in a legal submission, the Central government on Thursday reiterated its position that discussions on trade with the US didn’t come up at all in the agreement with Pakistan to halt all military actions earlier this month.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that India’s position on US claims has been “well articulated.”
“From the time Operation Sindoor commenced on May 7, till the understanding of cessation and military firing on May 10, there were conversations between Indian and US leaders on the evolving military situation. The issue of trade or tariffs did not come up in any of those discussions,” the spokesperson said.
“The External Affairs minister has also made it clear that the cessation of firing was decided upon through direct contact between the DGMOs of India and Pakistan,” Jaiswal added.
India’s clarification came after US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s submitted to a court in the US that ceasefire between India and Pakistan materialised only after US President Donald Trump offered trading access to the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Lutnick’s submission, dated May 23, was in response to a legal challenge by US business owners against Trump’s tariff policies.
“President Trump interceded and offered both nations trading access with the United States to avert a full-scale war,” Lutnick claimed.
