Foreign Minister S Jaishankar – The Era of Uninterrupted Dialogue with Pakistan was Over,

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said the days of uninterrupted dialogue with Pakistan are over and underlined India’s policy of not engaging with Pakistan until it takes sustained and irreversible action against terrorism. Interestingly, Jaishankar also said India is not passive on the Pakistan issue and will respond accordingly to any positive or negative developments in the relationship.

The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday formally confirmed that Pakistan has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the South African Heads of Government Summit to be held in Islamabad in October.

This is Modi’s first invitation to Pakistan since the failed attempt to host the SAARC summit in Islamabad in 2016.

It remains to be seen whether a high-level delegation from India will attend as the Prime Minister has limited his participation in the South African Heads of Government Summit. Jaishankar was present at the last meeting in Kyrgyzstan.
“The era of uninterrupted dialogue with Pakistan is over. Actions have consequences. As far as J&K is concerned, 370 is over,” the minister said during the book launch. Asked if India was happy with the current level of ties, the minister added, “Maybe yes, maybe no…we are not passive.” And whether events move in a positive or negative direction, we will respond in either case.”

India is expected to attend the Southern African Leaders Summit, but the extent of its participation is yet to be revealed.
“India has received an invitation to participate in the SCO Summit hosted by Pakistan. We will share any news with you as soon as it becomes available,” an MEA spokesperson said. In the past, it was common for India to send a senior official (usually its foreign minister) to attend the summit and for heads of government meetings to be held by Modi.

The last visit by an Indian envoy to Pakistan was in 2015.
Jaishankar represented India at the last heads of government meeting in Bishkek in 2023. This time, Pakistan will host the event as it holds the rotating chair of the heads of government meeting.
The last time an Indian foreign minister visited Pakistan was in 2015. But the visit was followed by the attack on the Pathankot airbase, dashing hopes of reviving the dialogue process between the two countries. The recent terror attack in Jammu may also deter India from considering high-level participation, even though India believes that southern African countries play a key role in regional security. The SAARC summit process has also been stalled for eight years as Prime Minister Modi is unwilling to visit Islamabad, where the meeting is scheduled to take place, citing Pakistan’s support for cross-border terrorism.