The day terror stops, talks will start: Sushma Swaraj on ties with Pak

We had prepared a roadmap of peace, friendship and Pakistan's stability: Sushma Swaraj

IANS  |  New Delhi 

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj speaks in the Rajya Sabha in New Delhi on Thursday.(Photo: PTI)
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj speaks in the Rajya Sabha in New Delhi on Thursday.(Photo: PTI)

External Affairs Minister on Thursday said that India's roadmap vis-a-vis is clear, that and talks cannot go together.

The Minister blamed for derailing the bilateral dialogue by continuing its support to and meddling in

Replying to a discussion on India's foreign policy in the Rajya Sabha, said: "If you speak of the roadmap, we had prepared a roadmap. It was that of peace, friendship and Pakistan's stability. But roadmap cannot be implemented by one side alone."

"and talks cannot go together. This is the roadmap. The day when they stop terror, talks will start," she said.

said that relations with deteriorated not after the Pathankot air base attack in 2016, but after then called militant commander a freedom fighter and a martyr after he was killed in a shootout with Indian security forces last June.

"Even after Pathankot things did not deteriorate. It was for the first time they did not go into denial like they used to do, and said they will cooperate in the probe," she said.

"Things deteriorated only after called a freedom fighter and a martyr," she said.

Defending Narendra Modi's decision to land in on way back from on December 25, 2015, said it was part of a peace initiative had started.

"Our going to on way from was part of this initiative. Everything is in public domain. It was Nawaz Sharif's birthday on December 25. wished him, and he asked to come to make a stopover in Without caring for protocol the went there.

"You cannot say that we did not extend the hand of friendship with Pakistan," she added.

She recalled that when she went to Islamabad for the Heart of conference on December 9, 2015, sat with her and asked to start a dialogue process on the way she had proposed.

"In that bilateral meeting it was decided that Secretary level talks will happen. We gave it the name of Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue so that no doubts should remain. It was decided then that Foreign Secretaries should thrash out the modalities," said.