"Need to treat this claim with scepticism": South Asia analyst after China claims role in mediating India-Pak conflict

Washington, DC [US], January 1 : South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman said China's claim of mediating between India and Pakistan should be treated with scepticism.

He also said that Beijing cannot be seen as a credible mediator as it has supported Pakistan, including by supplying weapons used during the conflict.

In an interview with ANI, Kugelman on Wednesday said, "In recent years, it does seem that Beijing has sought to showcase its global clout by pointing to its desire and capacity to serve as a mediator in conflicts. For it to say that it was involved in the India-Pakistan conflict back in May, I am not sure how credible a claim that is."

"I can't imagine that China would be seen as a credible mediator by India. There is good reason to believe that China did supply weaponry to Pakistan that was used in combat against India. That would be like someone giving a match to someone else, and then helping that person put out the fire. We need to treat this claim with scepticism," he said.

After US President Donald Trump repeatedly claimed that Washington stopped a potential war between India and Pakistan, China has now claimed that it mediated tensions between the two countries following their military clashes earlier this year.

Speaking at the Symposium on the International Situation and China's Foreign Relations, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday (local time) said Beijing had played a mediating role in several global conflicts, including the India-Pakistan standoff, the Chinese Foreign Ministry shared a statement on X.

"To build peace that lasts, we have taken an objective and just stance, and focused on addressing both symptoms and root causes. Following this Chinese approach to settling hotspot issues, we mediated in northern Myanmar, the Iranian nuclear issue, the tensions between Pakistan and India, the issues between Palestine and Israel, and the recent conflict between Cambodia and Thailand," Wang said.

Wang's remarks come months after India and Pakistan were locked in a brief but intense military confrontation in May, triggered by the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam of Jammu and Kashmir that claimed 26 innocent lives.

India responded with Operation Sindoor, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

India has consistently dismissed claims of any third-party mediation, maintaining that the four-day confrontation was resolved through direct military-to-military communication.

New Delhi has maintained that, inflicted by this heavy damage, Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) called the Indian DGMO and both sides agreed to stop all firing and military action on land and in the air and sea with effect from May 10.

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