New Delhi, May 29 (UNI) India today rebuffed Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif’s offer of talks with India, saying that talks and terror don’t go together.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, addressing the weekly briefing, said:
“I would again reiterate this, we have been very clear and consistent in our position. I have said this in the previous presser last week, as also in the press engagement that we had on 13th of May.
“Our position in regard to Pakistan, in regard to engagement with Pakistan, has been clear and consistent. You are well aware of our position that any India-Pakistan engagement has to be bilateral.
“At the same time we are clear that talks and terror don’t go together.
“On terrorism itself we are open to discussing the handing over to India of noted terrorists, whose list was given to Pakistan some years ago.
“I would like to underline that any bilateral discussion on Jammu and Kashmir will only be on the vacation of illegally occupied Indian Territory by Pakistan.
“And on the Indus water treaty, it will remain in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism, as Prime Minister Modi has said.
“And I would like to repeat his words, “terror and talks cannot go together, terror and trade cannot go together, and water and blood cannot flow together.”
During his visit to Tehran, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif on Monday expressed his willingness to talk with India “to resolve ongoing disputes between the two countries, including the Kashmir issue and water security”.
