New Delhi (Sputnik) — Lashing out at those hailing Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan as a "true statesman" for having unconditionally handed over captive Indian fighter pilot Abhinandan and for cracking the whip on terror outfits, India's Eternal Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has questioned whether the Pakistan PM would hand over Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) Chief Masood Azhar to India.
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"Some people say Imran Khan is a statesman. If he is so generous then he should hand over JeM chief Masood Azhar to India. Let's see how generous he is," Sushma Swaraj was quoted as saying by the ANI news agency.
— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2019
However, India continues to dig its heels on not engaging with Pakistan contending that the latter should completely dismantle terror infrastructure on its soil first.
"We do not want talk on terror, we want action on it. Terror and talks cannot go together," Sushma Swaraj stressed. "We are ready to engage Pakistan in an atmosphere free from terror."
— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2019
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The 14 February Pulwama bombing triggered a further deterioration in ties between New Delhi and Islamabad already engaged in bitter strife over the Kashmir region which both claim as their own. India accuses Pakistan of harbouring terrorists with the aim of disrupting peace in the contested region an allegation which Pakistan denies.
"You not only keep JeM on your soil, but fund them and when the victim country retaliates, you attack it on the terror outfit's behalf," Sushma Swaraj said, while asking the Imran Khan government to control its army and chief intelligence agency "which seek to destroy relations between the states."