Bilateral dialogue with Pakistan requires terror-free environment

Ahead of his visit to Japan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an interaction session with the Japanese media, said that a bilateral dialogue with Pakistan was only possible if there was a terror free and violence free environment.

Prime Minister Modi said, "India desires peaceful, friendly and cooperative ties with Pakistan. I had a very good meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in May 2014, when he attended the swearing-in ceremony of my Government. We together decided that the Foreign Secretaries should meet and explore how to take relations forward.

"India has no hesitation to discuss any outstanding issue with Pakistan within the bilateral framework that has been established under the Simla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration. We, therefore, were disappointed that Pakistan sought to make a spectacle of these efforts and went ahead with talks with secessionist elements from Jammu and Kashmir in New Delhi just prior to the meeting of the Foreign Secretaries.

"We will continue to make efforts to build peaceful, friendly and cooperative ties with Pakistan, but I might add that any meaningful bilateral dialogue necessarily requires an environment that is free from terrorism and violence.", said the Prime Minster.

India had called off Foreign-Secretary level talks with Pakistan, which were scheduled to be held on August 25, after the Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit held talks with Kashmiri separatists.