The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday said that trade did not come up in the discussions between India and United States during tensions with Pakistan. “From the time of Operation Sindoor, which commenced on 7th May, till the understanding of secession of firing and military action on the 10th May, there were conversations between Indian and US leaders on the evolving military situation, the issue of trade did not come up in any of these discussions,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a media briefing.The MEA response comes a day after President Donald Trump on Monday claimed that the US used trade as leverage to broker peace between India and Pakistan. “We helped a lot, and we also helped with trade. I said, ‘Come on, we’re going to do a lot of trade with you guys. Let’s stop it. Let’s stop it. If you stop it, we’re doing trade. If you don’t stop it, we’re not going to do any trade,’” Trump had claimed referring to US discussions with India and Pakistan. Asserting that the long-standing national policy regarding non-interference from a third party on issues pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir has not changed, Jaiswal stressed that it has to be addressed by India and Pakistan bilaterally. “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,” he said. Jaiswal stated that the Indus Water Treaty, which was suspended post the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, was “concluded in the spirit of goodwill and friendship” between the two countries.”Pakistan has held these principles in abeyance by its promotion of cross-border terrorism for several decades now. Now as per the CCS decision, India will keep the treaty in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism,” he said. “Please note, that climate change, demographic shifts and technological changes have created new realities on ground as well,” he added.
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