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India has once again made it quite clear to Pakistan that terror and talks cannot go together. This was pointed out by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said that India will not ‘respond positively’ to Pakistan’s invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation or SAARC summit.
“We are not responding to it (invitation by Pakistan for SAARC summit) positively because as I said unless and until Pakistan stops terror activities in India, there will be no dialogue, so we will not participate in SAARC,” she said, addressing a press conference in Hyderabad.
Swaraj also said that the Kartarpur corridor initiative is not connected with the dialogue process with Pakistan and talks can start the moment Islamabad stops terror activities in India.
India has been asking for a corridor, which will facilitate visa-free travel of Indian Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, for many years and she said she was happy that Pakistan had for the first time responded positively.
“But that does not mean that bilateral talks will start only on this,” she said, adding that terror and talks can’t go together.
Swaraj, who is campaigning in Hyderabad ahead of the Telangana elections on December 7, was addressing a press conference.
“The moment Pakistan stops terrorist activities in India, the dialogue can start but the dialogue is not connected with only the Kartarpur corridor,” she said.
