India’s relations with Pakistan can move forward only in an environment free from terror, hostility and violence, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar said in the Lok Sabha on Friday, making it clear that cross-border terrorism remains the central obstacle to normalising ties between the two countries.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Jaishankar said Pakistan continues to pursue a policy of cross-border terrorism and use terrorism as an instrument of state policy against India.
The External Affairs Minister said India had taken a series of diplomatic and economic measures against Pakistan following the Pulwama terror attack. These included withdrawing Pakistan’s Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status and increasing customs duty on all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan to 200 per cent.
India also placed the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, closed the Attari check-post, imposed restrictions on visas and downsized the diplomatic and official presence at the respective missions, Jaishankar said.
He further stated that India had undertaken military action targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Despite the strained relationship, the two countries continue to maintain their respective diplomatic missions in New Delhi and Islamabad, Jaishankar said.
He added that several functional engagements between the two sides remain in place, including talks at the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) level, the exchange of pre-notification of flight testing of ballistic missiles, the annual exchange of lists of nuclear installations and the exchange of lists of prisoners in each other’s custody.
India’s position remains that meaningful progress in bilateral relations is contingent on an end to terror, hostility and violence, with cross-border terrorism continuing to shape the trajectory of ties between the two neighbours.
