External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday said India cannot have dialogue with Pakistan unless the neighbouring country acted against terror outfits on its soil, asserting that “talks and terror cannot go together”.
Talking on ‘India’s World: Modi Government’s Foreign Policy’, she stated that Pakistan needs to control the ISI and its army who are bent on destroying the bilateral relations time and again.
“We do not want talk on terror, we want action on it. Terror and talks cannot go together,” she said.
Swaraj also questioned Pakistan’s retaliation to the Indian air strikes in Balakot when, she said, India had specifically targeted the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
“Why did the Pakistani military attack us on behalf of JeM? You not only keep JeM on your soil, but fund them and when the victim country retaliates, you attack it on the terror outfit’s behalf,” she said.
“Some people say Imran Khan is a statesman. If he is so generous, then he should give us Masood Azhar,” she added.
Swaraj’s remarks came hours before the deadline to raise objection on listing JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist before the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee.
China on Wednesday, for the fourth time, blocked a bid in the United Nations (UN) Security Council to designate Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed’s chief Masood Azhar as a “global terrorist” by putting a technical hold on the proposal.
The US, the UK and France had moved a fresh proposal in the UN Security Council to designate Pakistan-based terror group JeM’s chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, a listing that will subject him to global travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo.
China, a close ally of Pakistan, has consistently blocked moves first by India and later by the US, the UK and France to designate Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the 1267 Committee by putting technical holds.
The JeM was responsible for the Pulwama terror attack that killed over 44 CRPF personnel on February 14.
The JeM had earlier carried out many terror strikes in India and was also involved in the attack on Parliament, the Pathankot air force base, Army camps in Jammu and Uri.