New Delhi: External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Friday said that the 'era of uninterrupted dialogue with Pakistan is over' while speaking at a book launch event in the national capital while responding to India's relationship with Pakistan.
"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," Jaishankar said.
He also expressed concerns over the nature of the relationship that India could have with Pakistan. However, he said that currently India would react to any sort of event initiated by the neighbouring country, be it negative or positive. "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," Jaishankar added.
This statement comes after Pakistan extended a formal invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting, scheduled for October this year in Islamabad, a local news agency reported.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that Pakistan had extended invitations to all heads of government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for the upcoming Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting in Islamabad.
Multiple countries have confirmed their attendance at the SCO meeting. However, the official list of attendees has not been released. Pakistan spokesperson, commenting on ties with India said, “Pakistan does not have direct bilateral trade with India.”
It is noteworthy that, as the host country currently holding the rotating chairmanship, Pakistan's invitation is in line with the established SCO protocol. While Prime Minister Modi has consistently participated in SCO heads of state summits in the past, he was unable to attend this year's event in Kazakhstan due to a clash in the Indian Parliament.
India and Pakistan share a complex and often tense relationship, rooted in historical, political and territorial disputes. Key issues include the conflict over the Kashmir region, cross-border terrorism and military tensions. However, there are also instances of diplomacy, trade and people-to-people connections that occasionally bring the two nations closer together.
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