India on Wednesday categorically stated it wants to normalize its ties with Pakistan, but asserted that the ball was now in Islamabad's court.
"The present government sent a clear signal that we were willing to speak to Pakistan. We were willing to normalize our relationship with Pakistan. We invited the head of the government, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony, which was a very important signal," Union Defence Minister Arun Jaitley told those assembled at the World Economic Forum Summit.
"It has never been the stand of the Government of India not to speak to Pakistan. But at what level you speak and when do you speak, the environment for a dialogue and the level at which the dialogue takes place has to be entirely set by Pakistan," he added.
Jaitley minced no words in reminding that there were a few red lines in India's relations with Pakistan and how the Islamic Republic had violated the same by derailing the possible resumption of dialogue at the Foreign Secretary level when its envoy held talks with Kashmiri separatists.
"There are a few red lines. We invite them, we create the environment [for talks], and we then fix up a dialogue at the Foreign Secretary level and our foreign secretary is scheduled to visit Pakistan. However, literally a few hours before that, they invite separatists for a dialogue to their high commission. So, I think a new red line has to be drawn and Pakistan have to reconsider who do they want to speak to - do they want to speak to the Government of India, or they do they want to speak to those who want to break India," he said.
"So, unless Pakistan makes that conscious choice, a meaningful dialogue with Pakistan would not be possible," he added.
Drawing the attention of the hostility existing at the International Border with Pakistan, Jaitley said, "Hostilities are mounted at the International Border and at the Line of Control. Now, traditionally when such hostilities are mounted, we have been defending ourselves."
"Pakistan must realise that this kind of a misadventure, where you fire on the civilian population, start killing the civilian population, uproot Indian villages at the Line of Control or the International Border, probably the consequences of all this would be an unaffordable cost for Pakistan," he added.
The World Economic Forum's India Economic Summit is returning to India after a gap of a year. The theme for this year's summit is, 'Redefining Public-Private Cooperation for a New Beginning'.
