External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar recently offered a pointed response when asked about China’s role in the recent India-Pakistan military conflict following the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists.

In an interview with the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Jaishankar, without naming the specifics, noted that “many of the weapons systems that Pakistan has are of Chinese origin and the two countries are very close.”

“You know, many of the weapons systems that Pakistan has are of Chinese origin, and the two countries are very close. You can draw your conclusions from that,” the minister told the reporter about China’s role in the India-Pakistan conflict.

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On a question about whether or not the military confrontation between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor reached a point of nuclear escalation, the EAM said, “he was astonished by the question.”

In a sharp retort, the minister said that anything that happens in South Asia is promptly linked to a nuclear crisis by the West.

Asked “how far away was the world from a nuclear conflict”, Dr Jaishankar said, “far, far away.”

“Very, very far away. I’m frankly astonished by your question. We have terrorist targets. Those were very measured, carefully considered and non-escalating steps. After that, the Pakistani military opened fire on us. We were able to show them that we could disable their air defence systems. Then the firing stopped at their request,” he said.

Jaishankar was also asked if the world should thank the US for the ceasefire between India and Pakistan. 

He replied, “The cessation of firing was agreed upon between the military commanders of both sides through direct contact. The morning before, we effectively hit and incapacitated Pakistan’s main airbases and air defence system. So, who should I thank for the cessation of hostilities? I thank the Indian military because it was the Indian military action that made Pakistan say: We are ready to stop.”

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Asked how he views America’s role in global affairs, S Jaishankar acknowledged the US’s influence but underlined India’s independent approach to strategic decisions.