India Desires Normal Relations With All Its Neighbours, Including Pakistan: MoS Lekhi At CICA Summit In Astana

Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi said this while addressing the 6th Summit of Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Meenakshi Lekhi

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New Delhi: India said on Thursday that it desired normal relations with all its neighbours, including Pakistan, and advised Islamabad to create a conducive atmosphere, including by taking "credible, verifiable and irreversible actions" to not allow any territory under its control to be used for cross border terrorism against it.

Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi said this while addressing the 6th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Astana, Kazakhstan.

"Pakistan is the global epicentre of terrorism and continues to be the source of terrorist activities including in India. Pakistan continues to make no investment in human development but provides their resources for creating and sustaining infrastructure of terrorism,” she said.

Addressing the summit which was attended by several world leaders including Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Lekhi said India desired normal relations with all its neighbours, including Pakistan.

"Pakistan is thereby advised to walk the talk by creating a conducive atmosphere, including by taking credible, verifiable and irreversible actions to not allow any territory under its control to be used for cross border terrorism against India in any manner,” she said.

This will enable the two countries to engage and address issues bilaterally rather than distract this important international forum from its agenda of cooperation, she said, after Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif raked up the Kashmir issue at the CICA meeting.

She also asked Pakistan to immediately cease anti-India cross-border terrorism and shut down its infrastructure of terrorism. "It will do well to stop the grave and persistent human rights violations in Pakistan occupied Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh (PoJKL); refrain from effecting any further material changes in the status of PoJKL; and vacate the Indian territories that are under its illegal and forcible occupation,” she said.

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