The Congress party has publicly demanded that the Indian government clarify whether it has accepted third-party mediation on the Kashmir issue following recent announcements by the United States regarding a ceasefire between India and Pakistan.

This demand was voiced after US President Donald Trump offered to mediate between the two countries and made public statements about the Kashmir conflict, which Congress described as an attempt to "internationalise" a matter traditionally treated as bilateral between India and Pakistan.

At a press conference, Congress general secretary Sachin Pilot expressed surprise over the US president’s announcement of the ceasefire via social media, noting that it was the first time a third country had made such statements on behalf of both India and Pakistan.

Pilot criticised the US for attempting to "hyphenate" the two countries and questioned the government's silence on the matter. He called for an all-party meeting chaired by the Prime Minister and a special session of Parliament to discuss these developments, emphasizing the need for transparency and national consensus in such sensitive matters.

Pilot reiterated that Kashmir is a bilateral issue and that India’s longstanding policy, as reaffirmed by Parliament in 1994, is to reject any third-party involvement or mediation. He stressed that the government must clearly state that no external intervention, including from the US, will be accepted. The Congress leader also highlighted the need to repeat the 1994 resolution on Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) to send a unified message to the world about India’s position.

In response to these concerns, government sources have categorically stated that India has not accepted any third-party mediation on Kashmir. The official stance remains that the only issue for discussion with Pakistan is the return of PoK, and there is no scope for mediation by any country. The government has made it clear that talks with Pakistan, if any, will only occur through established military channels and will focus solely on specific security concerns.

While Pakistan welcomed Trump’s mediation offer, India firmly rejected it, maintaining its consistent policy that the Kashmir dispute is a bilateral matter and external intervention is neither needed nor desired. The government’s position was further reinforced by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who clarified that the ceasefire understanding was reached directly between India and Pakistan, not brokered by a third party.

Despite the US president’s public offer to mediate and the subsequent political debate, the Indian government has not accepted US or any third-party mediation on Kashmir and continues to assert that the issue remains strictly bilateral, with no role for external actors.

Agencies