India desires normal relations with Pakistan: MEA
Chinese actions last year responsible for eastern Ladakh standoff: India
New Delhi: India on Thursday said it desires normal relations with Pakistan and it was for that country to create a conducive atmosphere through measures including taking “credible, verifiable and irreversible” action to not allow any territory under its control to be used for “cross-border terrorism”.
“We desire normal relations with all our neighbours including Pakistan,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a media briefing.
He was responding to a question.
“Pakistan must work towards creating a conducive atmosphere including by taking credible, verifiable and irreversible action to not allow any territory under its control to be used for cross-border terrorism against India in any manner,” he said.
To a question on Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s comments on New Delhi’s role in Afghanistan, Bagchi said India brought electricity and built dams, schools and healthcare infrastructure in that country.
“The world knows what Pakistan has brought to Afghanistan,” he said.
Bagchi said India supports the Afghan peace process and is in touch with various stakeholders including regional countries.
Meanwhile, India on Thursday said China’s amassing of a large number of troops close to the border last year and attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo seriously disturbed peace and tranquility in the region.
India’s comments on the matter came a day after China said its military deployment in the region is a normal “defence arrangement” aimed to respond to actions by the “relevant” country.
“It is well recognised that it has been the Chinese actions over the last year, including amassing of a large number of troops close to border areas in the western sector and trying to unilaterally alter the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which have seriously disturbed peace and tranquility in the border areas,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
He was responding to a question on the standoff at a media briefing.
“These acts are in violation of our bilateral agreements, including the 1993 and 1996 agreements that mandate that the two sides shall strictly respect and observe the Line of Actual Control and that two sides will keep their military forces in the areas along the LAC to a minimum level,” Bagchi said.
