External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday countered Opposition charges and made it clear that India will start a dialogue with Pakistan the day it stops promoting terrorism against this country. She reiterated the government’s position that ‘terror and talks cannot go together’ while responding to the allegations by the Opposition that the NDA government has no policy with regard to Pakistan.
“It cannot be one-sided... Terror and talks cannot go together. The day they stop promoting terror, we will start the talks,” Swaraj said in Rajya Sabha while replying to a discussion on “India’s foreign policy and engagement with strategic partners”.
“You are asking what is our Pakistan roadmapIJ We had declared it even before the swearing-in. We had invited prime ministers of all the neighbouring countries and all came... Bilateral meetings were also held and I was present,” Swaraj said.
She said PM Modi had gone out of the way to smoothen the relations with Pak and breaking all protocols he went on to wish Pak PM Nawaz Sharif on his birthday in lahore. But since then the relations between the two countries have been witnessing ups and downs due to terror strikes in India and Sharif’s policy of promoting militants like Burhan Wani as martyrs.
She added that during her visit to Islamabad for the ‘Heart of Asia Conference’ on December 9, 2015, Sharif had said the dialogue should be started in a new format and it was given the name of Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue. “The story changed after (the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander) Burhan Wani (in an encounter) when they (Pakistan) declared him as a martyr,” Swaraj said.
Responding to other queries by the Opposition, Swaraj allayed all concerns with regard to India’s position on Palestinian issue. She said all along her government has made a fine balance on the issue of Israel and Palestine asserting that the government believes in a two-state solution and continues to support the cause of Palestine while maintaining friendly relations with Israel. Swaraj revealed that Palestine has even urged India to use its friendly relations with Israel to help resolve the dispute between the two countries.
Talking about India’s growing proximity with the US, Swaraj said that it is the success of her government’s foreign policy that today both Russia and US are standing in support of India on international issues.