Reiterating that India wants friendly relations with all its neighbours, Indian External Affairs Ministry on Thursday said that the proposed foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan will depend on the action Islamabad takes on the “actionable intelligence” that India has provided to them.
“India wants friendly relations with Pakistan, but we will not accept cross border terrorism. We now await prompt and decisive action from Pakistan,” MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.
“Pathankot terror attack has put renewed focus on cross-border terrorism,” he said.
“The government’s policy towards Pakistan is clear and consistent. India wants friendly relations with all its neighbours including Pakistan,” he said.
“But India will not tolerate cross-border terror,” he said.
“It will be premature for me to say anything more at this point,” Vikas Swarup said when pressed further for India’s stand on talks.
“We are not imposing any deadline on Pakistan but we expect prompt action,” Swarup said.
“We are waiting for Pakistan to take action on the actionable intelligence we have shared with them. So far we have no information if Pakistan has already started taking action against culprits,” the official said.
Swarup said that India won’t compromise on cross-border terror and the dialogue with Pakistan is aimed at “peace and tranquillity”.
He said that “Friendship won’t be at cost of cross-border terrorism.”
A positive atmosphere was created after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Lahore. Now New Delhi has a difficult situation in hand following the Pathankot attack.
India-Pakistan relations saw a new hope when Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise visit to Lahore to meet Nawaz Sharif. PM Modi’s surprise visit created goodwill and there were signs of forward movement in bilateral relations.
However, the Pathankot terror attack has once again put the focus on terror.
