India’s position on Jammu and Kashmir – the return of territory illegally occupied by Pakistan – has not changed, the External Affairs Ministry said Tuesday, underlining what Prime Minister Narendra Modi said a couple of days ago.
India is also determined this issue be resolved bilaterally, the ministry said, despite Pakistan having solicited mediation in the past and United States President Donald Trump having offered it twice.
In a regular briefing, ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters India has a “long-standing national position (on J&K) … that issues pertaining to the Union Territory have to be addressed by India and Pakistan bilaterally”. This, Jaiswal said, has not changed.
On Monday night, in his first address to the nation since Operation Sindoor – India’s military response to the Pahalgam attack – the Prime Minister said there could be no talks over Kashmir, except over dismantling Pak’s terrorist infrastructure and returning Pak-occupied Kashmir.