BJP, Opposition back Jaishankar's statement on Imran's call for bilateral talks

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Tuesday seconded External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's take on Pakistan call for dialogue and said that there is no scope of initiating talks with Pakistan until it stops sponsoring terrorism.

"Our External Affairs Minister (S. Jaishankar) is right. There is no scope of talks with Pakistan until it stops sponsoring terrorism. Pakistan openly sponsors terrorism and provides a safe haven to terrorists on its soil. It also sponsors terrorism in other countries. The country has become a danger for the rest of the world," Shahnawaz told ANI.

In an interview with Politico, during his two-day trip to Brussels last week, Jaishankar had stressed that the idea of dialogue with Pakistan will not be effective while it "openly practices terrorism."

The External Affairs Minister response came after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan authored an article in New York Times on the "impending threat" of nuclear war over Kashmir.

"Through dialogue and negotiations, the stakeholders can arrive at a viable solution to end the decades of suffering of the Kashmiri people and move towards a stable and just peace in the region. But dialogue can start only when India reverses its illegal annexation of Kashmir, ends the curfew and lockdown, and withdraws its troops to the barracks," Khan wrote in the op-ed published last Friday.

Khan had argued in the article that it is urgent to begin discussions while a "nuclear shadow" hovers over South Asia. But the External Affairs Minister said there is no hope of negotiations until Pakistan reins in its financing and recruitment of militant groups.

However, Jaishankar reaffirming India's stand on not holding bilateral talks with Pakistan said, "Terrorism is not something that is being conducted in dark corners of Pakistan. It's done in broad daylight."

Reiterating similar thoughts on Jaishankar's remarks, Congress leader Tariq Anwar also extended his support to the External Affairs Minister over the issue.

"This has been a long been the stand of the country. Even in UPA's term, the Indian government had stopped talks with the neighbouring country in the wake of the Mumbai terror attack. There is no scope of engaging in talks with Pakistan," Anwar told ANI.

Pakistan has been trying to internationalise the issue of Jammu and Kashmir since early last month after New Delhi took a historic step to revoke the constitutional status by revoking Article 370 and Article 35 (A) of the Indian Constitution that accorded special status to the region.

The cash-strapped nation, which should be focusing on stabilizing its debt-ridden economy, has further reached out to various foreign countries seeking their intervention in the issue.

In its next diabolic move, Pakistan is further planning to raise the issue in the upcoming annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly next month, despite being snubbed by the international community over and over again to end the tensions with its neighbour bilaterally.