"Absolutely no role for third-party mediation in India, Pakistan issues": MEA

New Delhi : The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday strongly affirmed the stance that issues between India and Pakistan will be resolved bilaterally, with no role for any third-party mediations. 

MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made the remarks during the weekly press briefing.

When asked about the recent interview of Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, where he said that the US had proposed a ceasefire along with discussions in a third country, and India was not ready for it, Jaiswal firmly said, "There is absolutely no role for third-party mediation in India and Pakistan issues. I want to underline it and make it clear again."

During an interview with Al Jazeera, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Monday contradicted claims made by US President Donald Trump, who asserted that the US brokered a ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed nations.

Dar stated Pakistan sought a ceasefire after India's strikes, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio informing him India doesn't support outside involvement.

"Incidentally, when the ceasefire offer came through [US] Secretary [of State] Rubio to me on the 10th of May... I was told that there would be a dialogue between Pakistan and India at an independent place... When we met on the 25th of July during a bilateral meeting with Secretary Rubio in Washington, I asked him 'What happened to those dialogues?', he said, 'India says that it is a bilateral issue," Dar said.

India attributed the ceasefire to direct military-to-military talks between Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs).