Modi, Jaishankar: Refuse to Engage in In-depth Negotiations with Pakistan!

According to reports by The Economic Times of India, Times Now News, and Reuters on May 22nd and 23rd, Indian Prime Minister Modi and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar (S. Jaishankar) once again publicly expressed a tough stance towards Pakistan, refusing to engage in in-depth negotiations with it.

After the ceasefire between India and Pakistan on May 10th, Pakistan attempted to restart dialogue using the "issue bundling" method. On May 21st, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that future dialogues between India and Pakistan could focus on four issues: Kashmir, water resources, trade, and counter-terrorism, with Saudi Arabia as the venue for their negotiations. On May 22nd, Modi, at an open event in Rajasthan, India's northwest, stated that Pakistan "must pay a heavy price for every terrorist attack," and that Pakistan's military and economy will bear this cost. He also mentioned that Pakistan "will not obtain water from rivers owned by India," and that India "will not engage in trade or negotiations with Pakistan."

On the same day, Jaishankar publicly refuted the claim that U.S. President Trump mediated the India-Pakistan ceasefire, stating that the ceasefire was entirely the result of direct bilateral communication between India and Pakistan. Moreover, the key point lies in the fact that on May 10th, Pakistan proactively sent a request to stop firing through the military hotline, and India responded accordingly.

He also emphasized that "Operation Sindoor" was a "necessary response" to the Pahalgam attack rather than an act of provocation. The current ceasefire is a "temporary dormancy" of military actions, but India reserves the right to respond to terrorism "at any time."

Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1833037176018953/

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