New Delhi: India on Thursday made it clear once again that any engagement with Pakistan will only be bilateral; terror and talks cannot go together; and, the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) will remain in abeyance until Pakistan "credibly and irrevocably abjures" its support for cross-border terrorism.

"We have been very clear and consistent in our position regarding any engagement with Pakistan - that it has to be bilateral. At the same time, we are clear that talks and terror don't go together. On terrorism itself, we are open to discussing the handing over to India of noted terrorists whose list was given to Pakistan some years ago," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated during a weekly media briefing in New Delhi.

"I would like to underline that any bilateral discussion on Jammu and Kashmir will only be about the vacation of illegally-occupied Indian territory by Pakistan. As for the Indus Waters Treaty, it will remain in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.

As our Prime Minister has said, terror and trade cannot go together, water and blood cannot flow together," he added. The MEA's strong response came at a time when Pakistan, pushed on the backfoot by India's decisive Operation Sindoor, has suddenly started talking about its intent on having peace talks with India.

Since Monday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has twice spoken about Islamabad's willingness to talk with India to resolve ongoing disputes between the two countries.