New Delhi: Following Pakistan's unexpected invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Islamabad for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday issued a strongly-worded statement, saying that the era of uninterrupted dialogue with the neighbouring country is over, adding that "actions have consequences".
Speaking at a book launch event in New Delhi, Jaishankar said, "the era of uninterrupted dialogue with Pakistan is over. Actions have consequences. So far as J&K is concerned, Article 370 is done. So, the issue is what kind of relationship we can contemplate with Pakistan...What I do want to say is that we are not passive, and whether events take a positive or a negative direction, either way, we will react."
This came after Pakistan officially extended an invite to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting scheduled in Islamabad in October, according to the Foreign Office, amid strained relations between the two neighbours.
Pakistan's invitation to PM Modi
The SCO event in Pakistan will be preceded by a ministerial meeting and several rounds of senior officials’ meetings focused on financial, economic, socio-cultural, and humanitarian cooperation among the SCO member states. During a weekly press briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Baloch said invitations have been sent to heads of countries for participation in the summit.
“An invitation has also been sent to the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi,” Dawn quoted Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Baloch as saying, adding that some countries had already confirmed their participation in the meeting. "It will be informed in due course which country has confirmed." When asked about ties with India, Baloch said, “Pakistan does not have direct bilateral trade with India.”
Islamabad and New Delhi have a long history of strained relations, primarily due to the Kashmir issue as well as the cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. India has been maintaining that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan while insisting that the onus is on Islamabad to create an environment that is free of terror and hostility. Pakistan downgraded its ties with India after the Indian Parliament abrogated Article 370 on August 5, 2019.
Earlier, Jaishankar had said that India had "never closed doors to talking to Pakistan" but the issue of cross-border terrorism should be "fair, square at the centre of the conversation". When he was asked if there could be a conversation with the Pakistani military, Jaishankar brushed it off and said “it doesn’t work like that”.
Jaishankar on 'challenges' with Bangladesh, Maldives
Jaishankar weighed in on changing political relations with other neighbours like Bangladesh and the Maldives. "We are looking at conundrums. For every country in the world, neighbours are always a conundrum, because neighbouring relationships are the uttermost difficult. They can never be solved, they are continuing relationships which will always throw up problems," he said on Friday. "Tell me which country is there that doesn't have challenges with neighbours... I think it is the very nature of a neighbour."
The minister said India has to look for "mutuality of interest" with regard to the changing political landscape of Bangladesh in the wake of student-led protests that culminated in former PM Sheikh Hasina's resignation and ouster. He said it is natural to deal with the government of the day and recognise disruptive changes.
Reflecting upon a possible thaw in initial India-Maldives ties under President Mohamed Muizzu, Jaishankar said there has been "ups and downs" and a lack of consistency in their approach, but India remains deeply invested in the relationship. "There is a recognition in the Maldives that this relationship is a steady force as they get into into choppy waters where their own prospects are concerned, especially in terms of economic challenges," he said.
This came weeks after Jaishankar's visit to the Maldives, during which Muizzu expressed commitment to preserving and strengthening relations with neighbouring India, calling it one of the "closest allies and invaluable partners" of the archipelago nation. The ties between India and the Maldives earlier came under severe strain since Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, came to power last year.
ALSO READ | Will PM Modi go to Pakistan? Islamabad extends invite to SCO meeting amid strained ties
