Talks, terror can’t go together, India tells Pakistan again

India on Thursday asked Pakistan to “irrevocably abjure” its support for cross-border terrorism after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently expressed his willingness to hold talks and resolve all outstanding issues with New Delhi.

Responding to Sharif's call, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India's position with regard to engagement with Pakistan had been consistent.

“We want to reiterate that terrorism and talks cannot go hand in hand. As far as terrorism is concerned, the discussion will be solely about Pakistan handing over to India the terrorists from the list provided to them several years ago,” Jaiswal said.

On May 27, Sharif said Pakistan was ready to hold talks with New Delhi and resolve all outstanding issues, including Kashmir, terrorism, water sharing and trade. “We want to resolve all disputes through negotiations and are also ready to talk to our neighbour on trade and counter-terrorism,” he had said in Tehran.

Jaiswal underlined that any bilateral discussion on J&K would only be on the vacation of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. On the Indus Waters Treaty, he said, it would remain in abeyance until Pakistan “credibly and irrevocably abjured its support for cross-border terrorism". “As the Prime Minister has said, and I would like to repeat his words, terror and talks cannot come together... blood and water can't flow together," he said.

Sharif’s remarks came just days after India and Pakistan announced ceasefire following tensions along the border in the aftermath of the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack that left 26 persons dead. In response, India launched "Operation Sindoor" to crack down on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.