New Delhi, May 29: India on Thursday made it clear once again that any engagement with Pakistan will only be bilateral; terror and talks cannot go together; and, the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) will remain in abeyance until Pakistan "credibly and irrevocably abjures" its support for cross-border terrorism.

"We have been very clear and consistent in our position regarding any engagement with Pakistan - that it has to be bilateral. At the same time, we are clear that talks and terror don't go together. On terrorism itself, we are open to discussing the handing over to India of noted terrorists whose list was given to Pakistan some years ago," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated during a weekly media briefing in New Delhi.

"I would like to underline that any bilateral discussion on Jammu and Kashmir will only be about the vacation of illegally-occupied Indian territory by Pakistan. As for the Indus Waters Treaty, it will remain in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism. As our Prime Minister has said, terror and trade cannot go together, water and blood cannot flow together," he added.

The MEA's strong response came at a time when Pakistan, pushed on the backfoot by India's decisive Operation Sindoor, has suddenly started talking about its intent on having peace talks with India.

Since Monday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has twice spoken about Islamabad's willingness to talk with India to resolve ongoing disputes between the two countries.

"We are ready to talk, for the sake of peace, on water issues with our neighbour. We are ready to talk to promote trade and also, counter-terrorism if they're serious," said Sharif while addressing a joint press conference with Iranian President Masood Pezeshkian in Tehran on Monday.

The Pakistani Prime Minister reiterated his willingness to hold talks with India while attending the Pakistan-Turkey-Azerbaijan Trilateral Summit alongside Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ilham Aliyev in Azerbaijan's Lachin on Wednesday.

"I have said in all humility that we want peace in the region and that requires talks on the table on issues which need urgent attention and amicable resolution... I have said in all earnest that if India wants to talk on countering terrorism in sincerity of purpose, Pakistan would be willing to talk to India on this issue as well," he said.

Shehbaz Sharif had earlier proposed Saudi Arabia as a neutral venue for talks with India, stating that the United States could take lead as a mediator between the two countries.

However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been reiterating India's firm stance against terrorism, saying there would be no talks or trade with Islamabad unless it relinquishes its illegal occupation of Kashmir.

"If there is to be any talk, it will be on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). If Pakistan continues to export terrorists, it will be left begging for every penny. It will not get a single drop of Indian water," he said in Rajasthan's Bikaner, last week.

PM Modi also made it clear that "playing with the blood of Indians will cost Pakistan dearly".

--IANS

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