Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday ruled out the possibility of normalization of fraught trade and diplomatic relations with longtime rival India, saying it will be tantamount to "betraying" Kashmiris.

Axar.az reports that this was reported by foreign media.

"Normalizing ties with India at this point means betraying Kashmiris. Pakistan will never compromise on Kashmiris' blood," Khan said in a live telephonic conversation with citizens.

Stalled talks, he said, can only be resumed if New Delhi reverses its scrapping of the long-standing semi-autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir.

On Aug. 5, 2019, the Indian government revoked Article 370 and other related provisions from its Constitution, scrapping the country’s only Muslim-majority state with its autonomy. It was also split into two federally administered territories.

Simultaneously, it locked the region down, detained thousands of people, imposed movement restrictions and enforced a communications blackout.

Islamabad, in turn, suspended trade ties and downgraded diplomatic relations with New Delhi.

Khan's remarks came amid reports that the top intelligence officials of the two nuclear-armed neighbors met in the United Arab Emirates in January this year in an attempt to stem heightened tensions between the two sides.