Given the frosty ties between the two countries, Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Friday unless India reviews abrogation of Article 370 giving special status to Jammu & Kashmir, “Pakistan is not in a position to engage bilaterally with India.”
He was in Goa to attend the two-day SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting which started on Thursday.
Replying to a question on why there had been no talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar during his visit, he said, “Unless India reviews the action it took on August 5, 2019 (abrogation of Article 370), Pakistan is not in a position to engage bilaterally with India”.
He addedd, “As far as Pakistan’s position on bilateral relations with India or any meaningful engagement or dialogue with my Indian counterpart, our position remains unchanged.”
The Pakistani foreign minister said the country wishes to quell terrorism “not because India said it or the Indian government said so, but because we want to end this menace”.
“Pakistan has suffered the most. I myself am a victim of terrorism, so Pakistan and myself are wholly committed to combating this menace,” Bilawal said in an exclusive interview with India Today,
Speaking on India’s stance that it will not engage in bilateral talks with Pakistan unless the latter controls cross-border terrorism and stops alleged funding of terror outfits, Bilawal Bhutto stated, “As far as accusations are concerned, we are willing to engage any concerns that India might have but India will also have to address our concerns.”
“India will have to explain what Kulbhushan Jadhav — a state actor, a navy commander, was doing in Pakistan carrying out terrorist attacks on Pakistani soil. Does that not come under cross-border terrorism?,” he asked.
Kulbhushan Jadhav is a retired Indian Navy officer who was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017.
Bhutto also mentioned the 2007 Samjhauta Express bombing where around 70 people, reportedly mostly Pakistanis, were killed. He also said “We are yet to see any justice.”
