‘It didn’t leak from us’: Ex-CDS Anil Chauhan hints Pakistan may have leaked Sindoor ceasefire details to US

US President Donald Trump’s repeated claim that he mediated the India-Pakistan ceasefire during Operation Sindoor has been rejected by former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, who said the understanding was reached directly between the two countries’ Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs).

Speaking at a Vivekananda International Foundation event in New Delhi on Tuesday, Chauhan said he could comment only on the military aspect of the ceasefire but was clear that no third party was involved.

He said the two DGMOs spoke by phone on May 10, 2025, and independently decided the timing and terms of the cessation of hostilities.

“So the ceasefire is decided between two DGMOs. And that’s it. Means I don’t see the role of anyone else,” Chauhan said.

He also questioned how the information about the ceasefire reached the US before India could publicly announce it, saying the information had not leaked from the Indian side. Chauhan suggested it may have been leaked from Pakistan.

What Trump has claimed

Trump has repeatedly taken credit for the May 10, 2025 ceasefire that ended four days of military hostilities between India and Pakistan following Operation Sindoor.

On May 10, Trump said India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate ceasefire” after what he described as a “long night of talks mediated by the United States”.

He has since repeatedly linked the ceasefire to US diplomatic and economic pressure, including his claim that the threat of high tariffs helped end the fighting.

India has consistently rejected Trump’s mediation claim. The Ministry of External Affairs has said the date, time and wording of the cessation of military action were worked out directly through DGMO-level talks on May 10.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also rejected the claim in Parliament in July 2025, saying no world leader had asked India to stop its military action.

Pakistan, however, has acknowledged Trump’s role, with its foreign ministry expressing appreciation for the US contribution to supporting the ceasefire understanding.

Operation Sindoor

India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 people.

Indian forces struck terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, triggering several days of military exchanges.

On May 10, Pakistan’s DGMO contacted his Indian counterpart, following which the two sides reached an understanding to halt military action.