India seeks ties ‘free of terrorism’ with Pakistan, ball in Pak’s court: Jaishankar

Jaishankar was responding to a query from BJP lawmaker Naveen Jindal about what the government would do to improve bilateral relations and trade with Pakistan during the question hour in Lok Sabha

Published on: Dec 13, 2024, 17:39:15 IST

By Rezaul H Laskar

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New Delhi: India desires relations “free of terrorism” with Pakistan, and it is up to Islamabad to take steps to improve both diplomatic and trade ties with New Delhi, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar told Parliament on Friday.

Jaishankar in the Lok Sabha during the Winter Session of Parliament on Friday (ANI)

Jaishankar was responding to a query from BJP lawmaker Naveen Jindal about what the government would do to improve bilateral relations and trade with Pakistan during the question hour in Lok Sabha.

India, Jaishankar said, would like to have good ties with all neighbours, including Pakistan. “But like with any other neighbour, we would also like to have ties free of terrorism. This has been the position of the government,” he said.

He added, “We have made it very clear that it is for the Pakistani side to show that they are changing their behaviour from the past. If they don’t, of course, there are implications for the relationship and for them. I think the ball is very much in Pakistan’s court in this regard.”

Also Read: Neighbours have their domestic politics, we should be mature: Jaishankar

Regarding trade, Jaishankar said that disruptions occurred due to decisions made by the Pakistan government in 2019. “It is a matter on which they took the initiative, and we have an agnostic position on this,” he said.

Jaishankar was referring to Pakistan’s decision to halt trade relations in August 2019, following India’s move to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and reorganise the state into two union territories. At that time, Pakistan also downgraded diplomatic ties and refrained from posting a high commissioner in New Delhi.

The two countries have not held any substantive and sustained dialogue since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, which were carried out by the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. The Pulwama suicide bombing in February 2019, which killed 40 Indian troopers and was claimed by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed, brought the two nations to the brink of war.

India has consistently said that the improvement of bilateral ties is linked to Pakistan ending its support for cross-border terrorism.

Jindal posed a supplementary question on ties with Pakistan after Jaishankar answered a question about the government’s “Neighbourhood First” policy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rezaul H Laskar
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More

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