‘Actions have consequences’: Jaishankar says ‘era of uninterrupted dialogue with Pakistan over’

Signifying the end of India's passive diplomacy with Pakistan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday that the “era of uninterrupted dialogue” between Delhi and Islamabad is over. Commenting on the abrogation of Article 370, an issue Pakistan keeps raking up on international platforms, Jaishankar said, “So far as J&K is concerned, Article 370 is done.”

“The era of uninterrupted dialogue with Pakistan is over. Actions have consequences. So far as J&K is concerned, Article 370 is done,” S Jaishaankar said, responding to another question during a book launch event in Delhi on Friday.

Shedding light on what kind of relationship India can contemplate with Pakistan, Jaishankar said, "We are not passive, and whether events take a positive or a negative direction, either way, we will react.”

S Jaishankar's remark on India-Pakistan relations re-emphasises India's zero-tolerance policy against cross-border terrorism. In May this year, S Jaishankar underlined that the people of India made a clear decision in 2024 that they will not accept terrorism.

“If they wind down this industry they have created, then people will treat them as normal neighbours. If they make this their core competence, that will define their image. We have been straight with them. They have to make up their mind," S Jaishankar said at the annual general meeting of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) in Delhi in May this year.

He also blamed the previous Imran Khan government, which took many steps to downgrade relations and warned of similar repercussions of such issues in future.

“Part of the problem is that after 2019, the Imran Khan government took a number of steps that downgraded relations. We did not do, they did. Our messaging is very clear,” S Jaishankar said.

India-Pakistan relations

India and Pakistan continue to share troubled ties with Pakistan since Independence. The relationship between the neighbouring countries worsened over the years amid terror attack cases and cross-border violence and terrorism. The rivalry is also a major roadblock in regional cooperation in South Asia.