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Following the announcement of a ceasefire between the US and Iran for two weeks, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday alleged that India's shift away from its "impartial" stance has hindered its ability to act as a mediator in the West Asia conflict.
Speaking to ANI, Owaisi described the ceasefire as "delicate", asserting that India holds weight in global politics, citing a long-standing legacy of calling for peace in major conflicts. "India is a very big voice in South Asia, and wherever it comes to talking about peace, we have always played a big role," he said, further maintaining that the timing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Israel before the conflict began was "very wrong". "I am repeating again that the timing of the Prime Minister's visit to Israel was very wrong... We have always remained impartial, and we had the capacity that if two sides are fighting, we could sit them down and get them to talk," he said. Referring to Pakistan's involvement in the mediation of the 14-day ceasefire, Owaisi urged PM Modi to review why a nation that has "always troubled us" was able to play this pivotal role, which he suggested should have been India's. "I think PM Modi should review this matter and consider what the reason was that a neighbouring country, which has always troubled us, whether in the form of terrorism or otherwise, played this role. Iran has always been much closer to us... We hope that the government will review this and find out why this happened," he added. Earlier, US President Donald Trump suspended the "bombing and attack" campaign on Iran, announcing a two-week double-sided ceasefire and saying that the 10-point proposal from Iran was workable. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that the ten-point proposal will serve as ground to negotiate for a permanent deal, while reiterating that the US has achieved most of its military objectives."Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, and subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks. This will be a double-sided CEASEFIRE!" Trump said. The Iranian side accepted US President Donald Trump's peace overture and agreed to safe passage via the Strait of Hormuz for two weeks, as well as a pause in military operations. Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi posted the Islamic Republic's response on X and said Iran would cease its military operations if it was not attacked."Considering the request by the U.S. for negotiations based on its 15-point proposal, as well as announcement by POTUS about acceptance of the general framework of Iran's 10-point proposal as a basis for negotiations, I hereby declare on behalf of Iran's Supreme National Security Council: If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations. For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran's Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations," Araghchi wrote. Talks between the Iranian side, led by Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and the US delegation, led by Vice-President JD Vance, are set for Friday in Islamabad. (ANI)
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