India, May 29 -- New Delhi on Thursday dismissed claims by American officials that trade was a key issue in halting hostilities between India and Pakistan, with the external affairs ministry saying that trade hadn't figured at all in recent conversations between Indian and American leaders.

US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick had said in a deposition to a New York court that India and Pakistan reached a "tenuous ceasefire" only after President Donald Trump offered both sides trading access to the US to avert a "full-scale war". Trump too has repeatedly claimed that he used trade to get India and Pakistan to stop hostilities.

India has consistently said the understanding on halting firing and military actions on May 10 was directly fina...