External Affairs Minister of India, Sushma Swaraj, ahead of the Kartarpur corridor ceremony in Pakistan, said that India would not participate in the SAARC summit, stating that ‘terror and talks can’t go together’, according to news agency ANI.
Swaraj said that although India had agreed to build the Kartarpur corridor and was happy for the initiative, it did not mean that bilateral dialogue would be consequent.
She stated that India would not respond to the invitation unless ‘Pakistan stops terrorism’.
EAM Sushma Swaraj: We are not responding to it( invitation by Pakistan for SAARC summit) positively because as I said unless and until Pakistan stops terror activities in India, there will be no dialogue, so we will not participate in SAARC pic.twitter.com/ufb2H9UDuD
— ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2018
#WATCH For many years the Indian Government had been asking for this (#Kartarpur) corridor, only now Pakistan responded positively. It doesn’t mean the bilateral dialogue will start because of this, terror & talks can’t go together. : EAM Sushma Swaraj pic.twitter.com/iSPFRbyQI1
— ANI (@ANI) November 28, 2018
Earlier, Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesman Mohammad Faisal had said on Tuesday that Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi would be invited to Pakistan for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit, Dawn online reported.
India had boycotted the 2016 SAARC event, which led Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan to also pull out.
Addressing the ‘Kashmir Conference’ in Islamabad, Faisal had reiterated Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ‘ openness to resolving all outstanding issues through dialogue with India’.
The Kartarpur Corridor, which will facilitate the visa-free travel of members of India’s Sikh community to their religious site in Pakistan, will be inauguarated today and is expected to be completed within six months.
Earlier, the Union Cabinet headed by PM Narendra Modi announced building the Kartarpur road corridor up to the international border between India and Pakistan to let Sikh pilgrims visit the gurdwara on the banks of the river Ravi in Pakistan.
Both Pakistan and India made the decision to allow the pilgrims visit the holy shrine without having to secure a visa.
The foundation stone in Gurdaspur was laid by Vice-President of India Venkaiah Naidu in the presence of the CM and Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday.
