jaishankar-warns-us-on-pak-reminds-bin-laden-s-refuge

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has cautioned Washington against forgetting its chequered past with Pakistan, pointedly recalling that Osama bin Laden was found living under the nose of Pakistan’s military in Abbottabad.

 

Jaishankar said the US and Pakistan “have a history with each other. And they have a history of overlooking that history.” His remarks, delivered to loud applause, come at a time when Washington’s renewed engagement with Islamabad has drawn attention in diplomatic circles.

 

“They have a history with each other. And they have a history of overlooking that history. It's not the first time we have seen things. And the interesting thing is that when you look sometimes at the certificates that somebody in the military will give, it's the same military which went into Abbottabad and found you know who there,” Jaishankar observed, alluding to Bin Laden’s 2011 killing by US forces.

 

The minister suggested that such alignments often reflect “the politics of convenience”, shaped by tactical and strategic calculations rather than principle.

Also read: There are certain red lines: EAM on trade talks with US

 

Asked about US President Donald Trump’s claim that Washington had mediated a ceasefire between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, Jaishankar underlined that the cessation of hostilities was negotiated directly between New Delhi and Islamabad.

 

“It is a fact that phone calls were made at the time. Calls were made by the US and other countries as well. This is not a secret. Almost every phone call I had, definitely every American phone call I had, is there on my X account,” he explained.

 

“But that is one thing. It is something quite different to assert mediation or to assert that an outcome which was negotiated between India and Pakistan was not negotiated between India and Pakistan. It was,” he emphasised.

 

Jaishankar added that while India remains watchful of shifts in US-Pakistan relations, its engagement with Washington rests on deeper structural strengths.

 

“I know what I am about. I know what my strengths are, I know what is the importance and relevance of my relationship. So that’s what guides me,” he concluded.