NEW DELHI: The era of uninterrupted dialogue with Pakistan is over, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday. Speaking at a book launch here, he said all actions—positive or negative—will have consequences, adding that nobody can expect India to remain a silent spectator in matters concerning its core national interests.
“As far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, Article 370 is done. India is not passive and whether events take a positive or negative direction – either way we react,” Jaishankar said while speaking at the release of former ambassador Rajiv Sikri’s book, Strategic Conundrums: Reshaping India’s Foreign Policy.
Commenting on the turmoil in India’s neighbourhood, he said neighbours are “always a conundrum” and so are “major powers”. He, then, went on to explain that major powers are challenging because of their broad interests. Their agendas will sometimes align with India but can also differ, he remarked, adding that mature countries work their way around such complexities.
As for Bangladesh, Jaishankar said the small nation is “India locked” and the strong people-to-people connections can’t be ignored.
“When people say that happened in Bangladesh, this happened in Maldives... they need to look around. Which country doesn’t have challenges, complexities vis-a-vis with its neighbours?” he noted.
On India’s delicate ties with China, he said Beijing presents a ‘double conundrum’ because it is both a neighbour and a major power, making it a complex challenge to deal with.