India’s position on Jammu and Kashmir remains firm and unchanged: the only outstanding issue with Pakistan is the return of territory that India considers illegally occupied by Pakistan, and any discussion on this matter must be strictly bilateral, excluding third-party mediation.

At a recent press briefing, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, reiterated this stance, stating, “We have a long-standing national position that any issues pertaining to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir have to be addressed by India and Pakistan bilaterally. That stated policy has not changed.

The outstanding matter is the vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan”. This echoes Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent address, where he emphasized that talks with Pakistan could only occur regarding dismantling terrorist infrastructure and the return of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

India’s approach is rooted in the Simla Agreement of 1972, which established that disputes between India and Pakistan should be resolved through bilateral negotiations. Despite repeated offers and calls from Pakistan for international mediation-including recent offers from U.S. President Donald Trump-India has consistently rejected third-party involvement, maintaining that the Kashmir issue is an internal matter and must be settled directly between New Delhi and Islamabad.

The government’s position has been reinforced in international forums, such as the United Nations, where Indian representatives have asserted that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and that Pakistan must vacate the territories it occupies illegally.

Recent escalations, including military exchanges and terror attacks, have further hardened India’s stance, with the government linking any dialogue to Pakistan’s actions on terrorism and the status of PoK. India’s doctrine now explicitly states that “terror and talks can’t go together,” and the only agenda for any future talks would be the cessation of cross-border terrorism and the return of Indian territory under Pakistani control.

India’s demand for Pakistan to vacate the territories it occupies in Jammu and Kashmir is unwavering, and the government insists that any resolution must be achieved solely through bilateral engagement, with no scope for third-party mediation or internationalization of the issue.

Agencies