‘You are aware of the government stand’, says S Jaishankar

On the prospect of India and Pakistan playing cricket, External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Friday gave a clear message to Pakistan that terrorism should never be normalized.

Over the Asia Cup 2023, BCCI earlier said that Indian players would not go to Pakistan, on which S Jaishankar said, “Tournaments keep coming and you are aware of the government’s stand. Let’s see what happens.”

Talking to the media, S Jaishankar said, “I want to repeat that we should never accept that one country has the right to terrorism. We will have to delegitimise it. And for that, there should be international pressure on the country. This pressure will remain when the victims of terrorism raise their voices. We have to take leadership in it because we have bled because of terrorism.”
Meanwhile, S Jaishankar on resuming talks between India and Pakistan. He said, “It is a complicated issue. Will you talk to me if I put a gun on your head? If your neighbour aids terrorism out in the open — and there is no mystery about who the leaders are, where the camps are… We should never think that cross-border terrorism is normal. Give me another example where one neighbour is sponsoring terrorism against another. There is no such example. In a way, this is not even abnormal, but exceptional.”

Jaishankar further said, “The government took the side of its people. We had to see our benefits. And some countries had to come forward first. And we are not alone who want a diplomatic solution to the situation as soon as possible. There are around 200 countries in the world and if you ask them their stand, the maximum will want the war to end soon, prices to come down, and sanctions to go. The world wants that, and I think India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have become the voice of the world and developing countries. Someone has to become the voice of the developing countries.”