India will brook no discussion with Pakistan on the Jammu and Kashmir issue - except to dismantle its terrorist infrastructure and return Pak-occupied Kashmir - Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday night in his first address since a ceasefire halted the nearly 100-hour military conflict with Pakistan.
In his 22-minute speech the PM called out the Pak government and Army for supporting terrorism and warned Islamabad "one day this will wipe (you) out". He also warned Pak - as his and other Indian governments have in the past - that the Kashmir issue cannot be viewed as a stand-alone problem.
"Terror and talks cannot happen together... terror and trade can't happen together... and terror and water cannot flow together. If we ever talk to Pakistan, it will be on terror and PoK only," he stressed.
The PM's comments follow talk Pakistan attached 'conditions' to the ceasefire, including the re-activation of the Indus Waters Treaty India suspended as part of non-military post-Pahalgam measures.
India has firmly refuted such speculation, and Mr Modi underlined that refutal tonight.
The ceasefire is conditional, sources had told NDTV, but on Pakistan not violating the agreement. India, the sources said, will not change its position on the 65-year-old water-sharing deal.
READ | 'Conditional' Ceasefire, India's Position On Indus Treaty Unchanged: Sources
There were also no conditions attached to J&K, sources stressed.
India has repeatedly accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism, i.e., funding and training terrorists to stage terror attacks on Indian soil, as part of its efforts to illegally grab J&K.
Pakistan has, just as repeatedly, denied any connection to terrorists and/or terror groups involved in attacks on India, and insisted that it does not harbour or fund terrorism.
India, however, has pointed to a growing pile of evidence linking the Pak deep state to terror attacks on its soil, including the assault on Parliament in 2001, the horrific shooting of civilians in Mumbai in 2011, and attacks on soldiers in Uri and Pulwama in 2016 and 2019.
READ | Pak 'Most Dangerous', Terror Trail In Moscow, London: Sources
The investigation into the Pahalgam attack has also thrown up Pak links; three of the five terrorists are Pakistan nationals and the Resistance Front, a proxy of the Pak-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist group, has claimed responsibility. Pakistan's attempt to change that narrative - at a closed-door United Nations Security Council meet this month - was unsuccessful.
Last week, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri also drew links between Pak and former Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, who was killed by US special forces at his compound in Pakistan, and the presence of Pak Army officers at a 'state funeral' for terrorists killed in Operation Sindoor.
READ | "State Funeral For Terrorists": India Blasts Pak Claim Of Civilians Killed
Op Sindoor was India's military response to Pahalgam - precision strikes targeting nine terror camps in Pak and in PoK, including the HQs of LeT and the Pak-based Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Over the years many friendly countries, and international bodies, have made offers of mediation, also sought by Pak, to resolve the Kashmir dispute. India's position on this has never changed - Kashmir is a bilateral issue that can only be resolved directly with Pakistan.
In his first term as US President Donald Trump made an offer too, claiming, falsely, that Mr Modi had asked him to intervene. Mr Trump made this claim with then Pak PM Imran Khan by his side.
READ | "No Such Request": India Rejects Trump's Kashmir Mediation Claim
India's External Affairs Ministry swiftly denied this, declaring "no such request has been made" and that any engagement with Pak would require a halt to cross-border terrorist activities.
Now in his second term, Mr Trump seemed to repeat that offer Sunday, saying, "I will work with you both to see if, after a 'thousand years', a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir."
This time too the US government then backtracked; the State Department called on India and Pak to engage in "direct dialogue" to settle differences and work on "improved communication".
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