Pakistan has categorically denied Indian media reports claiming it requested a ceasefire following recent hostilities with India.
In a statement issued Friday, the Foreign Office spokesperson dismissed the reports as “entirely baseless,” asserting that Pakistan responded to Indian aggression in line with its right to self-defence.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, had in multiple media appearances stated that Pakistan’s military response was a direct reaction to Indian provocations.
The Foreign Office clarified that at no point did Pakistan initiate or request a ceasefire.
The spokesperson detailed that the ceasefire was arranged through third-party diplomatic channels, specifically involving the United States and Saudi Arabia.
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According to the statement, on May 10 2025 at approximately 8:15 am, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Senator Dar to convey that India was ready to ceasefire if Pakistan agreed.
Dar confirmed Pakistan’s agreement, following which Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal also contacted him around 9:00 am with a similar message and received the same confirmation.
The Foreign Office labelled the Indian media reports as a “distortion of facts” and reiterated that Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire only after India’s willingness was conveyed via diplomatic channels.
Islamabad reaffirmed that its position was based on sovereignty and self-defence, and external facilitation helped bring about the cessation of hostilities.
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India and its Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the other hand, have consistently contradicted Washington and Islamabad by claiming that the May ceasefire between India and Pakistan resulted from direct communication between the two countries’ militaries, not third-party mediation.
The White House has not yet responded to India’s latest remarks.
