India Rules Out Talks with Pakistan Amid Ongoing Terror Support
- India reiterates that any dialogue with Pakistan must be strictly bilateral in nature.
- India insists that talks can only proceed if Pakistan ends its support for cross-border terrorism.
- India is open to discussing the handover of wanted terrorists previously listed and shared with Pakistan.
At a media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reaffirmed India’s firm stance on any future engagement with Pakistan, making it clear that dialogue must be bilateral and contingent upon Islamabad ending support for cross-border terrorism.
“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”, Jaiswal said, addressing a query on possible dialogue between the two nations. He noted that he had already addressed the issue in a previous briefing and had no further comments beyond reiterating India’s long-held position.
India has consistently accused Pakistan of harbouring and supporting terrorism across the border. Jaiswal stressed India’s openness to cooperation on counterterrorism, specifically the handover of terrorists whose names had been shared with Pakistan earlier.
Touching upon the issue of Jammu & Kashmir, the spokesperson firmly stated that any bilateral discussion would only concern the vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan.
On the Indus Waters Treaty, Jaiswal echoed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s words: “Water and blood cannot flow together”, indicating that the treaty will remain suspended until Pakistan takes irreversible steps to cease support for terrorism.
