New Delhi/IBNS: India's position on Jammu and Kashmir, that is vacating territory illegally occupied by Pakistan, has not changed, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday, echoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's words a day before.

In a regular briefing this evening, ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "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."

Rejecting President Donald Trump claim on trade, Jaiswal said the subject did not come up in the discussions between India and the 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," Jaiswal said.

The MEA response comes a day after President Donald Trump on Monday claimed that the US used trade 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 how the US brokered peace between India and Pakistan.

Responding to Trump's speculation of "a bad nuclear war" between India and Pakistan, Jaiswal said the military action was entirely in the conventional domain.

"There were some reports that Pakistan's National Command Authority will meet on May 10. But this was later denied by them. Pakistan foreign minister has himself denied the nuclear angle on record," Jaiswal said.

"As you know, India has a firm stance that it will not give in to nuclear blackmail or allow cross-border terrorism to be conducted invoking it," he said, reiterating what PM Modi said during his address on Operation Sindoor.

"In conversations with various countries, we also cautioned that their subscribing to such scenarios could hurt them in their own region," he added.

Speaking on the Indus Water Treaty, which was suspended post the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, Jaiswal said it was "concluded in the spirit of goodwill and friendship as specified in the preamble of the treaty" 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.

PM's message to Pakistan

In a bold and direct address, PM Modi on Monday slammed Pakistan for sheltering terrorists and had said, "These terrorists have been sheltered in Pakistan, and the country went into a deep state of shock after India's action on terrorism on their land."

"Our intentions are clear: Terror and talks cannot happen together, terror and trade cannot go hand-in-hand, and blood and water cannot flow together. Let me declare it to the world, if India and Pakistan talk, it will be on terrorism, it will be on Pakistan-occupied Kashmir," he had said.

Reiterating that India has zero tolerance against terrorism, Modi had said, "Our fight against terrorism is not over. We have just paused our action for now and we will measure every move taken by Pakistan to deal with them in the future."

"Operation Sindoor has scripted a new normal that India will give a befitting reply to terrorism if we are attacked. We will strike at those places from where terrorism originates," he said.