'Talks Only After Return Of PoK': MEA REACTS To Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif's Proposal Of Talks With India (VIDEO)
New Delhi: India on Thursday reiterated its stand that talks with Pakistan will resume only after the neighbouring nation stops backing terrorism and vacates the occupied regions of Jammu and Kashmir. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal's remarks came days after Pakistan Prime Minister expressed willingness for talks with India.
The MEA spokesperson reaffirmed that any engagement with Pakistan will only be bilateral.
"As far as our engagement with Pakistan is concerned, our stand has been clear. Any engagement has to be bilateral. We would like to reiterate that terrorism and talks cannot go together. They need to hand over to India, noted terrorists, whose records and list we submitted to them some years ago," Jaiswal said.
"Talks on J&K will be held only on the vacating of PoK and when Pakistan hands over the territory to us," he added.
Notably, during his recent visit to Iran, Sharif had said that Pakistan was ready for talks with India for peace and stability in the region. However, India has made its stand clear that talks are only possible after Pakistan stops cross-border terrorism and return PoK.
While speaking on the Indus Water Treaty, the MEA spokesperson said that the treaty would remain in abeyance till Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support to cross-border terrorism.
"Just like PM Narendra Modi says, terror and talks cannot go together, terror and trade cannot go together, and water and blood cannot flow together," he added.
India put the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the life of 26 innocent civilians. In retaliation to the terror attack, India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK. After Operation Sindoor, four-day military conflict broke out between India and Pakistan. The Indian Armed Forces hit 11 Pakistan air bases on the intervening night of May 9 and 10, hours before a ceasefire was announced.
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