India on Thursday reaffirmed that any India-Pakistan engagement must be bilateral and ruled out third-party mediation. It also declared that the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) would remain suspended until Pakistan ends its support for cross-border terrorism.
“Any India-Pakistan engagement has to be bilateral. Talks and terror don’t go together. We are open to discussing the handing over of terrorists listed and shared with Pakistan,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing.
Jaiswal clarified that bilateral discussions on Jammu and Kashmir would only focus on Pakistan vacating illegally occupied Indian territory. “The Indus Water Treaty will remain in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for terrorism. As the Prime Minister has said, water and blood cannot flow together. Trade and terror cannot go together,” he added.
His remarks came hours after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif proposed Saudi Arabia as a neutral venue for talks. Sharif suggested that the United States could act as a mediator between the two countries.
Speaking to journalists in Islamabad, Sharif said talks could occur at the National Security Advisor (NSA) level. He added the agenda would include Kashmir, water, terrorism, and trade.
“Tensions between India and Pakistan are de-escalating gradually since DGMO-level contacts resumed. If talks take place, the NSA will lead Pakistan’s side. Saudi Arabia can host the talks, with the US leading the mediation. But India has not agreed to any neutral venue,” Sharif claimed.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated India’s position. Addressing a rally in Rajasthan’s Bikaner, he said, “If there are to be talks, it will be only on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. If Pakistan exports terrorists, it will beg for every penny and will not get a single drop of Indian water.”
Modi warned Pakistan that “playing with the blood of Indians will cost it dearly.”
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