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No Talks Till Pak Continues To Kill Indians: Sushma


Date:- 29 May 2018


External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday said talks with Pakistan cannot take place as long as there are funerals taking place on the Indian side due to constant shelling, ceasefire violations and infiltrations.

Denying there is any space for comprehensive dialogue with Pakistan unless it shuns terrorism and violence, Sushma said while all other mechanism of engagement will remain active with Pakistan particularly to talk about terrorism, no direct talks can take place unless there is complete full stop on terror activities from the Pakistan side.

“We are always ready for talks with Pakistan but with a caveat that terror and talks cannot go together. There cannot be a comprehensive dialogue till Pakistan shuns terror,” Sushma said while addressing a Press conference at the completion of four years in power of the Narendra Modi-led NDA Government.

“Jab seema par janaze uth rahe hon, to baatcheet ki awaaz acchi nahi lagti (when funerals are taking place at the borders, then the talk for a dialogue is not appropriate,” Sushma said. The Minister also hit out at Pakistan over its Gilgit-Baltistan Order 2018 (GBO) relating to administrative control over Gilgit-Baltistan, saying Pakistan always distorts history.

“Pakistan tries to teach us history and geography. It is one country which does not believe in rule of law and I would just say one thing to their answer ‘look who’s talking’,” she added. Pakistan’s Cabinet on May 21 approved GBO 2018 with a design to incorporate the disputed region as its fifth province.

While talking about the work of the NDA Government in these four years, Sushma said there has been “unprecedented outreach and unparalleled outcomes” at the global stage. She said her Government has made efforts to renew India’s ties with all countries and special efforts have been made to clear rough edges with China.

“During their informal meeting in China last month, President Xi Jinping told PM Modi that Rs if you feel our actions are going against Indian feel free to pick up phone and talk to me.’ That is the level of trust and mutual confidence such informal meetings increase,” Swaraj said.

EAM said the Government has reached out to 186 out of 192 nations so far and increased India’s stature in the global forum. She said since May 2014 till February 2018 foreign investment worth $2.93 billion has come to India which is 43 per cent increase from the previous Government’s records. She also mentioned India’s membership in three export control regimes out of four since this Government came in 2014.

Talking about India’s stand on the American sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea, the Minister said India supports on United Nations moved sanctioned and not nay country specific sanctions. Talking about India’s relations with the United States of America and the present situation on H1B and H4 visa to allow spouses to work, she said efforts are on to prevent President Donald Trump from taking any step that hits the interest of Indians.

She said the Government is making all efforts to bring back fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya from United Kingdom.

She said while the Indian banks consortium has won a case against Mallya in UK, efforts are now to expedite his extradition. Swaraj said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had even raised the issue of Mallya’s extradition with his British counterpart Theresa May during his visit for the Commonwealth Heads of State meeting recently.

“PM told May that UK court’s asking about the conditions of Indian jails is just not right as these are the same prisons where British had jailed our leaders like (Mahatma) Gandhi and (Pandit Jawahar Lal) Nehru,” Swaraj said. Mallya’s defense lawyers are relying heavily on a UK court order that refused extradition to a fugitive to India on the grounds that conditions of Indian jails are bad.

Courtesy: The Pioneer, Tuesday, 29 May 2018 | Vineeta Pandey | New Delhi