India cannot accept terrorism or it in any way legitimate as diplomacy, says Jaishankar

India cannot accept terrorism or it cannot accept that in any way legitimate as diplomacy or as any different facet of statecraft, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar mentioned on Wednesday as he underlined that the latest settlement between the militaries of India and Pakistan on ceasefire is a “good step” however there are “obviously bigger issues”.

Mr. Jaishankar made the feedback throughout a dialog with former US National Security Advisor General HR McMaster in ‘Battlegrounds’ session on ‘India: Opportunities And Challenges For A Strategic Partnership’ offered by the Hoover Institution.

“Look what I can tell you at this point of time, is that we had an agreement some weeks ago between our Director General of Military Operations that we would not fire across at each other, across the Line of Control, which has seen a lot of that. And it’s seen a lot of that, mainly because there’s been infiltration from their side,” Mr. Jaishankar mentioned whereas responding to a query on Pakistan.

“So, the basis for not firing is very clear because the reason for firing is infiltration so if there is no infiltration there’s obviously no reason to fire. That’s a good step. But I think there are obviously bigger issues,” the minister, at present on an official go to to the United States, added.

The militaries of India and Pakistan, in a shock announcement on February 25, mentioned that they’d agreed to strictly observe all agreements on ceasefire alongside the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir and different sectors.

“At the end of the day, the two neighbours have to find ways. It’s not a question of do we live with each other. You won’t live with each other if you’re agnostic about how you live with each other,” Mr. Jaishankar mentioned.

“And you also pointed out that since 1947, part of the problem has been cross-border terrorism… So, there also has to be perhaps appreciation of what the costs have been to themselves. What it has done to their own society and how that has impacted them. I mean, they need to reflect on it because they are doing it to themselves,” he added.

“But I think it’s important right now if there is thinking along the lines that there needs to be a better relationship with India. On our side there has been clarity of thinking, and the clarity of thinking is that we cannot accept terrorism, or we cannot accept that it is in any way legitimate as diplomacy or as any other aspect of statecraft. So let us see, you know where this progresses. Obviously everybody hopes for the best,” the minister added.

Ties between India and Pakistan nose-dived after a terror assault on the Pathankot Air Force base in 2016 by terror teams based mostly in the neighbouring nation. Subsequent assaults, together with one on Indian Army camp in Uri, additional deteriorated the connection.

The relationship dipped additional after India’s battle planes pounded a JeM terrorist coaching camp deep inside Pakistan on February 26, 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror assault in which 40 CRPF jawans had been killed in the identical month.

The relations deteriorated after India introduced withdrawing particular powers of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of the state into two union territories in August, 2019.

In March, Pakistan’s highly effective Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa mentioned that it was time for India and Pakistan to “bury the past and move forward” as he asserted that the peace between the 2 neighbours would assist to “unlock” the potential of South and Central Asia.

The highly effective military, which has dominated Pakistan for greater than half of its 72 plus years of existence, has hitherto wielded appreciable energy in the issues of safety and overseas coverage.

Gen Bajwa’s remarks got here a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan made an identical assertion.