China's war mediation claim concerning, PM must respond: Congress

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday termed Chinese claims of mediation between India and Pakistan concerning and said the people of India need clarity on the issue.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to break his silence on the claim, which he said seemed to make a joke of the country's national security.

"President Trump has long claimed that he personally intervened to halt Operation Sindoor on May 10, 2025. He has done so on 65 different occasions in various forums in at least seven different countries. The Prime Minister has never broken his silence on these claims made by his so-called good friend," Ramesh said in a post on X.

"Now the Chinese Foreign Minister makes a similar claim and says China also mediated. On July 4, 2025, the Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen Rahul Singh had publicly stated that during Operation Sindoor, India was actually confronting and combating China."

"Given that China was decisively aligned with Pakistan, Chinese claims of having mediated between India and Pakistan are concerning – not just because they directly contradict what the people of our country have been led to believe, but because they seem to make a joke of our national security itself," he added.

He said the claim must also be understood in the context of our relationship with China.

"We have begun re-engagement with them – but unfortunately it has been on Chinese terms. The Prime Minister's clean chit to China on June 19, 2020, has considerably weakened India's negotiating position," he said.

The Congress leader said our trade deficit is at a record high, and much of the country's exports are dependent on imports from China.

"Provocative actions by China in relation to Arunachal Pradesh continue unabated," he said.

"Amidst such a lopsided - and hostile - relationship, the people of India need clarity on what role China played in the abrupt halt to Operation Sindoor," Ramesh said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday said tensions between India and Pakistan were among a list of hot issues mediated by China this year.

New Delhi has been maintaining that the May 7-10 conflict between India and Pakistan was resolved through direct talks between the DGMOs (Director General of Military Operations) of the armies of the two countries.

India has also been consistently maintaining that there is no place for any third-party intervention in matters relating to India and Pakistan.