India reaffirms stand: No talks with Pakistan without end to terror
New Delhi, May 22: At a media briefing on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reaffirmed India’s consistent position on engagement with Pakistan, highlighting that any future dialogue must be bilateral and conditioned on Islamabad ending its support for terrorism.
“In my last briefing, I had addressed this issue. I have nothing further to add,” Jaiswal began, when asked about the India-Pakistan talks. “You are well aware of our position that any India-Pakistan engagement has to be bilateral. At the same time, I would like to remind you that talks and terror don't go together.”
India has long accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism. Reiterating India’s stance on counterterrorism cooperation, Jaiswal stated, “On terrorism itself, we are open to discussing the handing over to India of noted terrorists whose list was provided to Pakistan some years ago.”
The spokesperson also addressed bilateral concerns related to Jammu & Kashmir, “I would like to underline that any bilateral discussion on Jammu & Kashmir will only be on the vacating of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan,” he said.
On the subject of the Indus Waters Treaty between the two countries, Jaiswal indicated, “It will remain in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism,” he said, invoking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s oft-repeated formulation: “Water and blood cannot flow together.” The MEA’s statements make clear that India’s red lines remain unchanged
