India is not shying away from talks with Pakistan but we expect certain concrete steps to be taken by the neighbouring country first, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said to US President Donald Trump during the bilateral meeting on the sidelines of United Nations General Assembly in New york.
“The Prime Minister made it clear (to Trump) that we are not shying away from talks with Pakistan but we expect certain concrete steps to be taken by Pakistan before that, and we don’t find any efforts by them,” Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale told reporters at a briefing in Delhi after the bilateral meeting between the two leaders.
India raised the challenges it has been facing with regard to terror especially in Jammu and Kashmir since last 30 years, Gokhale also said.
New Delhi has repeatedly maintained that dialogue with Pakistan will not be initiated until it takes concrete action against terror emanating from its soil.
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“There was a long discussion on terrorism. The Prime Minister underscored to Trump that 42,000 lives have been lost to terror attacks in the last 30 years and that it is imperative for the international community to join the fight against terror,” Gokhale said.
Gokhale also said that during the meeting, Modi told Trump that radicalisation is fading away from India, a fact appreciated by the US President.
“The Prime Minister told President Trump that there has been a significantly lower level of radicalisation in India than there has been in any other part of the world. President Trump acknowledged and took note of the fact,” the Foreign Secretary remarked.
Gokhale said that India was quite satisfied with the meeting which ranged between 30 to 45 minutes.