- India has consistently refused third party mediation in talks with Pakistan
- US efforts at mediation with India and Pakistan failed again as late as July
- When he met Marco Rubio on July 25, "he said, 'India says it is bilateral'," Dar said
India has consistently refused third party mediation in its dealings with Pakistan, and the US has encountered another refusal as late as July, Pakistan foreign minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar has told news channel Al Jazeera.
Asked about the prospect of talks with India following Operation Sindoor and whether back-channel talks have started, Mr Dar recounted his conversations with US secretary of State Marco Rubio on the subject during Operation Sindoor in May and later, in July.
"When the ceasefire offer came to me through Secretary Rubio on May 11 at 8.17 am, I was told that 'Very soon, there will be dialogue between you and India at an independent place'," he said.
"When we met on 25 July, bilateral meeting (between) myself and Secretary Rubio in Washington, he said, 'India says it is bilateral'," the Pakistan minister added, indicating that US efforts at mediation had fallen through again.
Mr Dar's comments come amid repeated claims by US President Donald Trump that Washington had brokered peace between India and Pakistan in May, when India retaliated to the April 20 terror attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam.
India has consistently denied US claims.
Mr Dar said Pakistan would not mind third party mediation "but India has categorically said it is bilateral".
"So we don't mind bilateral but dialogues have to be comprehensive -- terrorism, trade, economy and Jammu and Kashmir," he added, admitting that Pakistan had knocked on the doors of "global capitals" during Operation Sindoor.
"We must appreciate the very positive role US played during the India-Pakistan war. We never asked anybody for ceasefire. I talked almost 60 times to world global capitals before the 7th of May when we had the air battle and after 10th of May when we had the ground battle," he said.
"I know that the overwhelming majority -- whether they are Muslim countries or non-Muslim countries, they want to see peace, diplomacy and dialogue," he added.
