India will start dialogue with Pak the day it stops terror, says Sushma Swaraj

New Delhi: India will start dialogue with Pakistan the day it stops promoting terrorism, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said in Parliament on Thursday, while making it clear that terror and talks cannot go together. Ms. Swaraj rejected the Opposition’s charge that the Modi government had no policy with regard to Pakistan, asserting that it had laid the “roadmap” envisioning peace and normalcy even before it took over.

“But it can’t be one-sided... Terror and talks cannot go together. The day they stop promoting terror, we will start the talks,” she said replying to a discussion on “India’s foreign policy and engagement with strategic partners” in the Rajya Sabha.

“You are asking what is our Pakistan roadmap? We had declared it even before the swearing-in. We had invited prime ministers of all the neighbouring countries and all came... Bilateral meetings were also held and I was present,” Ms. Swaraj said.

Pointing out the efforts to initiate a dialogue with Pakistan, Ms. Swaraj said, “The story changed after (the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist) Burhan Wani (in an encounter) when they (Pakistan) declared him as a martyr.”

Mr Modi went to Lahore, taking an ‘out-of-box’ decision, she said. Sharif asked Modi to greet him personally and so Modi visited Lahore to so, putting protocol aside.