New Delhi
\nIndia\u2019s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar declared on Friday that the \u201cera of uninterrupted dialogue\u201d with Pakistan has ended, while emphasising that India will respond to developments, whether positive or negative.
\nSpeaking at a book launch event, Jaishankar remarked that for any country, neighbours are \u201calways a conundrum,\u201d as are major powers due to their broad interests. \u201cMajor powers will always have an agenda, which will overlap with us, but to differing degrees, also diverge,\u201d he was quoted by the Indian media as saying.
\nReferring to China, Jaishankar noted, \u201cIn the case of China, you have a \u2018double conundrum,\u2019 because it\u2019s a neighbour and a major power. So, the challenges with China fit this double definition.\u201d
\nJaishankar\u2019s comments came during the launch of the book \u201cStrategic Conundrum: Reshaping India\u2019s Foreign Policy\u201d by former diplomat Rajiv Sikri, which examines India\u2019s relations with its neighbours and the associated challenges.
\nThe minister highlighted ongoing debates in the region regarding SAARC and BIMSTEC, organisations focused on regional cooperation. \u201cAll of you know the difference,\u201d he said, noting that these discussions underline the complexities of regionalisation. \u201cThe real issue is that of overlapping identities versus forging new ones. So, everywhere there is history at play, but there is politics that often contests history, and this in a way is a perennial challenge for India\u2019s relationships with all its neighbours.\u201d
\nAddressing India\u2019s relationship with Pakistan, Jaishankar said, \u201cI think the era of uninterrupted dialogue with Pakistan is over. Actions have consequences, and in so far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, I think Article 370 is done.
\nSo, the issue today is what kind of relationship can we possibly contemplate with Pakistan.\u201d
\nHe also emphasised, \u201cWhat I do want to say is that we are not passive, and whether events take a positive or negative direction, either way, we will react.\u201d
\nOn India\u2019s relations with Afghanistan, Jaishankar noted the existence of \u201cstrong people-to-people relations\u201d and goodwill at the societal level.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New Delhi India\u2019s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar declared on Friday that the \u201cera of uninterrupted dialogue\u201d with Pakistan has ended, while emphasising that India will respond to developments, whether positive or negative. Speaking at a book launch event, Jaishankar remarked that for any country, neighbours are \u201calways a conundrum,\u201d as are major powers due […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":428260,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-428231","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n