New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday made India’s stand clear that Pakistan should take concrete action against terror before talks can resume.
The foreign ministry said that PM Modi raised the New Delhi’s viewpoint during his bilateral meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on Thursday.
“Pakistan needs to create an atmosphere free of terror, but at this stage, we do not see it happening. We expect Islamabad to take concrete action to resume talks,” foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale quoted the Prime Minister as telling President Xi.
China is a strategic ally of Pakistan and is investing considerably in its infrastructure projects. President Xi is expected to meet Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is also attending the SCO summit.
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While, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had written separate letters to their Indian counterparts, pushing for the resumption of bilateral talks, India stood strong on its view of no talks before Pakistan acts on terror.
No bilateral meeting was scheduled between PM Modi and Imran Khan during the summit.
Meanwhile, in an interview, Imran Khan he expressed hope that his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi will use his “big mandate” to resolve all differences, including the Kashmir issue.
Imran Khan said the SCO summit provided him with an opportunity to speak to the Indian leadership to improve ties between the two neighbours.
“At the moment, our bilateral relationship with India is, probably, at its lowest point,” he said.
Earlier, in a major diplomatic win for India, China lifted its technical hold on listing Pakistan-based terrorist Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN.