“Would like to have ties free of terrorism”: Jaishankar on India-Pakistan relations

New Delhi [India], December 13 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday that India would like to have good ties with Pakistan like any other neighbour but would like to have ties free of terrorism like any other neighbour.

While speaking in Lok Sabha on Friday, Jaishankar said that India has made it very clear it is for the Pakistani side to show that they are changing their behaviour of the past and if they don’t, it will have implications for the bilateral ties.

BJP MP Naveen Jindal asked Jaishankar about steps taken by the Indian government to improve ties with Pakistan and measures taken by India to increase trade and commerce with them.

Responding to his question, Jaishankar said, “In terms of improving ties with Pakistan, like any other neighbour, we would like to have good ties. But like with any other neighbour, we would also like to have ties free of terrorism. So, this has been the position of the government. We have made it very clear that it is for the Pakistani side to show that they are changing their behaviour of the past and that if they don’t, of course, there are implications for the relationship and for them. So, I think the ball is very much in Pakistan’s court in this regard.”

Blaming Pakistan for the disruption in trade with India, he said, “Regarding trade, I think some of the disruptions which happened, happened because of decisions by the government of Pakistan in 2019. And it is a matter on which, they took the initiative and we have an agnostic position on this.”

India has repeatedly raised its concern over Pakistan’s support of cross-border terrorism and has asserted that terror and talks cannot go together.

Earlier in October this year, EAM S Jaishankar termed cross-border terrorism, extremism and separatism as the “three evils” that hinder trade trade and travel as well as people to people relations between countries.

Addressing the 23rd Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation (Organisation) Council of Heads of Government, Jaishankar took a veiled jibe at Pakistan to state that if activities across borders are characterised by terrorism, extremism and separatism, they are “hardly likely to encourage trade, energy flows, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges in parallel.”

Jaishankar travelled to Pakistan to attend the SCO Meeting chaired by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Calling for firm commitment to the SCO Charter, Jaishankar said, “But most of all, our endeavours will progress only when our commitment to the Charter remains firm. It is axiomatic that development and growth requires peace and stability. And as the Charter spelt out, this means being firm and uncompromising in countering the ‘three evils’. If activities across borders are characterized by terrorism, extremism and separatism, they are hardly likely to encourage trade, energy flows, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges in parallel.”

In May last year, Jaishankar said that the “victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism”.

Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers in Goa, Jaishankar slammed Pakistan’s then- Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s “weaponising terrorism” remarks.

“Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism. Victims of terrorism defend themselves, counter acts of terrorism, they call it out, they legitimise it and that is exactly what is happening. To come here and preach these hypocritical words as though we are on the same boat,” he said.