Jaishankar Dismisses Trump’s Claim on India-Pakistan Ceasefire: ‘I Was in the Room, That’s Not What Happened’

‘I Was In The Room…’: Jaishankar Counters Trump’s Claim on India-Pakistan Ceasefire During Balakot Tensions.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has firmly dismissed former U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that he was the one who brokered peace between India and Pakistan following the 2019 Balakot air strikes. Speaking during an event in New Delhi, Jaishankar stated, “I was in the room. That is not how things happened.”

Trump recently claimed that it was due to his direct intervention that India and Pakistan stepped back from the brink of war in February 2019, after the Indian Air Force carried out a strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in Pakistan’s Balakot.

Jaishankar Sets the Record Straight
Dismissing Trump’s statement, Jaishankar recalled the actual sequence of events:

“In diplomacy, things don’t always happen with one person stepping in and resolving everything. The decision-making was happening in Delhi, and it was being handled with a great degree of calculation and composure.”

He added that the government’s response was based on “real-time assessments and considered judgment,” and emphasized that India’s actions were sovereign and deliberate, not the result of outside pressure or intervention.

Recap: The Balakot-Pulwama Timeline
February 14, 2019: A suicide bombing in Pulwama killed 40 CRPF personnel. Jaish-e-Mohammed, based in Pakistan, claimed responsibility.

February 26, 2019: India conducted air strikes in Balakot, targeting JeM training camps.

February 27, 2019: Pakistan responded by attempting air strikes, leading to an aerial dogfight. Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman was captured and later released.

International Reactions and Role of Diplomacy
While countries like the U.S., France, and others did engage with both sides to de-escalate tensions, Jaishankar’s assertion challenges the narrative that the U.S. “stopped a war.” He noted that India’s calibrated response was based on both strategic restraint and firm resolve.

“We appreciated global concern and communication, but let’s not forget: India will decide for itself.”