Indian envoy to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla has stated that New Delhi will not engage in negotiations with Pakistan until it shows “immediate, efficient and verifiable” actions aimed at combating terrorist organisations on its soil, India TV reported. He added that Islamabad must cease its alleged use of terrorism to meet its political goals if it wants to achieve peace with India.
"[Pakistan] cannot be pursuing a policy of supporting terrorism on the one hand and then trying to talk of peace on the other. That double handed policy is not something that we can deal with anymore", Shringla said.
The ambassador insisted that the Indian people strive to have good relations with all their neighbours and added that Pakistan can also develop good relations with Delhi, if it takes the necessary steps.
Shringla's statements come in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s re-election on a wave of nationalistic sentiment caused by the recent terrorist attack against country's security forces. His Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan congratulated him on his victory and expressed hope to work with Modi "for peace, progress and prosperity" despite the tensions between the two countries.
The two states' relations worsened in February 2019 after the IAF carried out airstrikes on alleged positions of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist group in Pakistan in retaliation for an attack on a convoy carrying security personnel in the state of Jammu and Kashmir on 14 February 2019.
READ MORE: First Interaction Between Indian, Pakistani FMs Since Escalation
In response to the air raid, the Pakistani Air Force downed at least one Indian MiG-21 and captured its pilot. The latter was released several days later as a "peace gesture" by Islamabad. However, the Line of Control in Kashmir witnessed multiple exchanges of fire in the following months, while India has downed several Pakistani drones that allegedly violated the country's airspace.
