 Mahim Gupta
Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 7: India has made it clear that normal bilateral relations with Pakistan can move forward only in an environment free from terrorism, hostility and violence, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Lok Sabha on Friday.
Responding to a starred question on the present status of India-Pakistan relations since the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, Jaishankar said Pakistan continues to pursue a policy of cross-border terrorism and use terrorism as an instrument of state policy against India.
The minister said India’s approach towards Pakistan has undergone significant changes following major terror attacks, including the Pulwama attack in 2019 and the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22, 2025.
Following the Pulwama attack, India withdrew the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status accorded to Pakistan and raised customs duty on all goods originating in or exported from Pakistan to 200 per cent. Pakistan subsequently announced unilateral measures, including downgrading diplomatic relations and suspending bilateral trade with India.
In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, which the government described as having been carried out by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists, India took several diplomatic and strategic measures.
These included keeping the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, closing the Attari check-pos “Pakistan continues to pursue a policy of cross-border terrorism and use terrorism as an instrument of state policy against India.”
India also undertook military action targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the minister said.
Despite the strained ties, India and Pakistan continue to maintain their respective diplomatic missions in New Delhi and Islamabad. Jaishankar said certain functional engagements between the two sides also remain operational.
These include talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs), exchange of pre-notifications regarding ballistic missile flight tests, exchange of lists of nuclear installations and exchange of lists of prisoners in each other’s custody.
The government reiterated that India will respond appropriately to cross-border terrorism and its infrastructure and will not tolerate any form of blackmail.
Jaishankar said these considerations continue to shape India’s policy that normal bilateral relations with Pakistan can only be established when cross-border terrorism comes to an end.
The response was given in the Lok Sabha on August 7, 2026, in reply to Starred Question No. 289 raised by MP Dharmendra Yadav on the status of bilateral relations, diplomatic and trade changes and the number of talks held between the two countries during the past five years. | 