NEW DELHI: PM Modi on Tuesday asserted that no foreign leader had asked India to pause Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, in a clear refutation of US President Donald Trump’s repeated statements that he leaned on the two inimical neighbours to cease hostilities on May 10.“No world leader asked for suspension of Operation Sindoor,” the PM said. Modi’s assertion came in response to the opposition’s taunt that he should show the courage and call the US president out if he had made a false claim.Modi also hit out at Jawaharlal Nehru’s decision to sign the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan. Reiterating that “blood and water cannot flow together”, he said India has put the treaty on hold in the best interests of its citizens and farmers – a clear signal that India’s tough stand on the issue would continue.

Earlier, Leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi challenged the PM to announce that Trump is a liar and did not force the “ceasefire”, and that India did not lose any planes.Accusing Modi of using the defence forces to “protect his image”, Gandhi said the govt “surrendered” before Pakistan by telling it within moments of Op Sindoor that it did not intend to escalate or attack military installations.

‘Told Vance India would hit back fiercely’

In his response to the opposition, the PM said Pakistan was forced to sue for peace through the director general of military operations after the IAF had destroyed its strategically crucial airbases.Narendra Modi referred to his conversation with US Veep J D Vance on May 9 — the only direct contact he had with Trump administration during Operation Sindoor — and said he had bluntly told Vance that India would respond fiercely if Pakistan tried to carry out an attack.“Vance told me that Pakistan was set to launch an offensive. I told him that they would have to pay a heavy price if it carried out one and that India would respond to each bullet with a shell,” PM said to assert that US mediation, contrary to Trump’s insistence, was not a factor in India agreeing to hold fire.“Operation Sindoor has not been called off yet and Pakistan remains on notice,” Modi said, adding that the neighbour’s nuclear bluff has been called and India would not succumb to nuclear blackmail.