Show us “Naya action”, MEA tells Pakistan

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar. 

Pakistan must show credible, verifiable and sustained action against terror groups operating from its soil, MEA said.

Pakistan’s claims of acting against terrorist groups are “only on paper,” said the Ministry of External Affairs on Saturday, in its first reaction to the Imran Khan government’s moves over the week, putting strictures against the Jaish-e-Mohammad and seizing properties belonging to the Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-I-Insaniyat Foundation.

Rejecting Pakistan’s actions as following the “same script” it did after previous terror attacks in India, the government demanded “credible, verifiable and sustained” action by Pakistan to shut down terror infrastructure on its territory.

“Claims are being made that terrorist organisations will be proscribed, that some individuals have been placed in preventive detention and that some action has been taken against seminaries and madrasas belonging to terrorist groups,” said MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, reading out a detailed 11-point statement on the situation between India and Pakistan.

“If Pakistan claims to be a “Naya Pakistan with nayi soch” [new Pakistan with new perspective], it should show naya action against terrorist groups and terror infrastructure on its soil and end cross-border terrorism in support of its claims,” Mr. Kumar concluded.

‘India achieved its objective’

The MEA spokesperson said the government had achieved its objective, with the IAF strikes on a JeM camp in Balakot on February 26, of displaying its “firm resolve to take decisive action against cross-border terrorism”, and criticised Pakistan for its retaliation on February 27 against military installations in Jammu and Kashmir.

The government also denied Pakistan’s claim that it had shot down two fighter jets. Reiterating that only the MiG Bison flown by Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who had been captured and subsequently released by Pakistan, had been shot down, Mr. Kumar demanded that Pakistan should release a “video recording”, if it possessed one, and explain where the fuselage and pilots of the plane were.

The statement came even as there appeared to be signs of a de-escalation of tensions between the two countries.

Envoys return

In a synchronised move, Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria and Pakistani High Commissioner Sohail Mahmood returned to their posts in Islamabad and Delhi respectively on Saturday. India and Pakistan have also confirmed that the two sides will meet for talks on the Kartarpur corridor on March 14.

Saudi minister visit

Meanwhile, adding to a long list of dignitaries making phone calls and visiting the region, Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel-Al Jubeir will meet with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday in New Delhi, a few days after his visit to Islamabad.

When asked, the MEA spokesperson said that he was visiting New Delhi to “follow up” on announcements made two weeks ago during the visit of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, and denied that there was any attempt by Saudi Arabia or other countries to “mediate” in the India-Pakistan conflict.

In a statement issued during Mr. Al-Jubeir’s visit to Islamabad, he had reportedly “assured [Pakistan’s] Foreign Minister of the [Saudi] Kingdom's support to seek peaceful settlement of all outstanding disputes between Pakistan and India.”