NEW DELHI: India’s defence minister said on Monday that New Delhi had ended its military conflict with Pakistan in May as it had met all its objectives and had not responded to pressure, rejecting US President Donald Trump’s claim that he brokered the truce.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was speaking at the opening of a discussion in parliament on the April 22 attack on Hindu tourists in IIOJK in which 26 men were killed.
The attack led to a fierce, four-day military conflict with Pakistan in May, the worst between the nuclear-armed neighbours in nearly three decades.
“India halted its operation because all the political and military objectives studied before and during the conflict had been fully achieved,” Singh said.
“To suggest that the operation was called off under pressure is baseless and entirely incorrect,” he said.
Singh’s comments came as the Indian Army said that it had killed three men in an intense gun battle in IIOJK on Monday.
Indian TV channels said the men were suspected to be behind the April attack. Reuters could not immediately verify the information. Indian opposition groups have questioned what they say is the intelligence failure behind the Kashmir attack and the government’s inability to capture the assailants - issues they are expected to raise during the parliament discussion.
They have also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for coming under pressure from Trump and agreeing to end the fighting, along with reports that Indian jets were shot down during the fighting.
Pakistan claimed it downed five Indian planes in combat, and India’s highest ranking general told Reuters that India suffered initial losses in the air, but declined to give details.
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