India's MEA Responds to Pakistan PM's Offer: Terrorists Must Be Handed Over

India's Stance on Engagement with Pakistan

On Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) addressed the recent offer for dialogue made by Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The MEA emphasized that Pakistan must first surrender known terrorists to India, as per the records and lists previously submitted by India.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, "Our position regarding engagement with Pakistan is unequivocal. Any discussions must be bilateral. We must stress that terrorism and dialogue cannot coexist. Pakistan is required to hand over the identified terrorists whose details we provided to them some time ago. Discussions regarding Jammu and Kashmir will only occur after Pakistan relinquishes its control over the region. Furthermore, the Indus Water Treaty will remain suspended until Pakistan genuinely renounces its support for cross-border terrorism. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi has articulated, terror and talks cannot coexist, nor can terror and trade, and water and blood cannot flow together."

Official Statement on Terrorism and Dialogue