'Yes brother, you can': Pak Deputy PM Dar admits to asking Saudi Prince Faisal to request India for ceasefire amid Operation Sindoor

In yet another admission, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said in a recent interview that the country requested for ceasefire with India. This comes after Islamabad celebrated the victory in the India-Pak conflict, followed by the announcement of Pakistan's new Field Marshal, Asim Munir. India had launched Operation Sindoor (May 7 mid-night) in retaliation for the dastardly terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22. A horrific attack that claimed 26 innocent lives and, worst of its kind, the country had witnessed in recent times.

Speaking to news outlet Geo News, he said, Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi and Shorkot air base in the state of Punjab were struck by India. This was also, the time when Islamabad reached out to the US to intervene. The two nuclear-armed countries were embroiled in cross-border fighting, and New Delhi was clear in its stance to destroy the terror infrastructure operating on Pakistani soil. India had waited for a fortnight for Pakistan to take action against terrorism, seeing the lack of intent, these precision strikes were launched.

In an excerpt from the interview, Dar can be seen saying, "...unfortunately, India once again launched missile strikes at 2:30am. They attacked the Nur Khan air base and Shorkot air base. Within 45 minutes, Saudi Prince Faisal called me. He said he had then just learnt about my conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.”

“He asked if he was authorised to talk to India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and convey that we are ready if they (India) stop. I said yes, brother, you can. He then called me back, saying he had conveyed the same to Jaishankar,” he added.

This was also around the time US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he mediated the matter between the two countries. Recently, PM Modi and Trump spoke over the phone when the latter was briefed about the entire operation launched by New Delhi.

In his statement about the telephonic exchange, India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said, PM Modi clearly told President Trump that throughout this entire sequence of events, at no point were topics such as the India-US trade deal or US mediation between India and Pakistan discussed. The discussions regarding pausing military actions took place directly between India and Pakistan through existing military channels, on Pakistan’s request.