No people contact with Pakistan till terror ends, Parliamentary Panel told

New Delhi: People-to-people contact between India and Pakistan can only take place in a conducive atmosphere free from terrorism and the fear of violence, senior government officials told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs while responding to queries on recent remarks by RSS leaders advocating greater engagement with Pakistan.

On Track-II engagements, officials said little was expected to emerge under the current circumstances, adding that there is no Track 1.5 dialogue between the two countries.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and other senior officials briefed the committee, chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, on India-Pakistan and India-China relations. Speaking to reporters later, Tharoor said the briefing would help members prepare for the panel's upcoming visits to Jammu & Kashmir and Leh-Ladakh, including Kargil. He described India's ties with China as an "edgy relationship".


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Update on LAC Talks

Officials said India and China have held 35 rounds of talks since June 2020 under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) and Senior Commanders' Meetings to pursue disengagement along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. The latest round was held in Beijing on May 27.

At the meeting, both sides expressed satisfaction over progress in maintaining peace and tranquillity, which has facilitated the gradual normalisation of bilateral ties. Delimitation, confidence-building mechanisms and cross-border exchanges also figured in the discussions.

In a note shared with the panel, the Ministry of External Affairs reiterated that China continues to occupy around 38,000 sq km of Indian territory in Ladakh and lays claim to nearly 90,000 sq km in Arunachal Pradesh. Officials also said India has continued to press China on hydrological data-sharing and raised concerns over Beijing's mega projects on the Yarlung Zangbo.

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Firm Stand on IWT

Officials reiterated that India has kept the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance until Pakistan irrevocably ends its support for cross-border terrorism.