New Delhi: India said on Thursday that it would “never accept continued terrorism as the new normal of the bilateral relationship” with Pakistan, adding talks cannot take place in such an atmosphere.
The firm stand came even as sources said the Pakistan PM’s adviser on foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz, may meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 4 at the Heart of Asia conference in Amritsar when the Pakistani delegation “calls on” Mr Modi as per protocol there.
Speculation is also rife that there may be an informal meeting on the sidelines there between Mr. Aziz and union finance minister Arun Jaitley, who will be heading the host Indian delegation.
On Tuesday, seven soldiers, including two officers, were killed and six others wounded as terrorists stormed an Army camp in Jammu’s Nagrota, while the Border Security Force killed three militants in the region’s Samba district. in Nagrota, three terrorists were also killed.
Recent incidents suggest that Pakistan-backed militants have stepped up attacks following the Indian Army’s surgical strikes at terror launch pads in PoK in September.
The ministry of external affairs (MEA) said, “It was our assessment then that there was an imminent threat of armed terrorists ready to infiltrate and carry out activities on our side. This imminent threat was successfully neutralised through the surgical strikes.”
“We should not look only at what happened but also at what did not happen, what was prevented through successful neutralisation of terrorists”, the MEA said, adding, “We are awaiting detailed information on the specifics of the Nagrota attack before we decide on the next steps… the government takes this incident very seriously and will do what it feels is required for our national security.”
The MEA also said, “We have not received any request from Pakistan for a bilateral meeting. India has always been open to talks but obviously it cannot be that talks take place in an atmosphere of continued terrorism. India will never accept continued terrorism as the new normal of the bilateral relationship.”
The MEA said Pakistan has a long record of carrying out cross- border terrorism, which it regards as an instrument of state policy. This puts Pakistan at odds with the rest of the international community.
Over the years, India has suffered many heinous terrorist attacks, which have been supported and sponsored by Pakistan, it said.
