India's decision on IIOJK 'slammed door shut' on talks: Bilawal
Visit by Bilawal to India was the first by a Pakistani foreign minister to Delhi in over a decade
May 05, 2023
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that the Indian government's action of revoking the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir special status has "slammed the door shut" on holding dialogue between the two nations.
"There is a genuine willingness on the Pakistan side, to address all issues and resolve all issues through dialogue. But the actions on August 5 really slammed the door shut on that process," Bilawal told The Hindu in an exclusive interview during his visit to Goa to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
The visit by Bilawal to India was the first by a Pakistani foreign minister to Delhi in over a decade and has garnered a lot of media attention in both countries. The two have fought three wars, share frosty relations, and have downgraded their diplomatic ties.
The FM, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), said that India's decision to reorganise Kashmir on August 5, 2019, has made it "difficult" for those in Pakistan who advocated talks between Islamabad and Delhi in the past.
Bilawal said that this was the "only thing" that was preventing dialogue between Pakistan and India at the moment, adding that the "restoration of statehood to the union territory could be one step".
Speaking about Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's visit to India in July to attend the SCO summit to join the Russian and Chinese Presidents on the invitation of Indian PM Narendra Modi, Bilawal said that the decision on it hasn't been made yet.
When asked about Pakistan's response to India's request to reopen the Indus Water Treaty, Bilawal said: "Pakistan firmly believes that water should not be weaponised, that water should not be politicised. As far as the Indus water treaty is concerned, it's used as the gold standard the world over."
The foreign minister said that Pakistan has concerns over a couple of hydropower projects, however, it would like to resolve them through the existing treaty.
Speaking about International Monetary Fund's (IMF) bailout programme, Bilawal said that Pakistan was taking difficult yet necessary decisions. However, he said that the country was facing a "unique sort of situation".
He termed the issues being faced by the inflation-ridden country including the climate catastrophe, COVID-19 and inflation etc.
Moreover, Bilawal refused that there were any backchannel talks taking place between Pakistan and India at present. "There have been productive back channels in the past, pre-August 2019. As far as the missile incident goes, that's not something we're willing to sweep under the rug. That's a serious lapse - of a missile falling into hostile territory.
"I don't think there's been such an example anywhere across the world. It's really irresponsible behaviour from a nuclear-armed country. India's response has been unsatisfactory. They've called it a mistake. We've demanded an impartial inquiry into the incident, which is which hasn't happened yet."
