Islamabad: The desperation in the top leadership of Pakistan once again came out on December 31, 2025 Wednesday after Pakistan attempted to amplify what was a courtesy handshake between External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and the Speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq in Dhaka. The exchange took place on the sidelines of the funeral of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, which Sadiq and EAM Jaishankar attended. It was among the few visible contacts between India and Pakistan at the senior level since the relations deteriorated following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, 2025 where 26 Indians were killed.
According to a press release issued by the Pakistan’s National Assembly Secretariat, Pakistan has claimed that the handshake occurred when External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar approached Ayaz Sadiq during the event. The press release from the NA Secretariat stated that since the Pahalgam attack, Pakistan has “consistently emphasised dialogue, restraint and cooperative measures, including proposals for peace talks and joint investigations to prevent unprovoked aggression and escalation”.
India-Pakistan relations came under severe strain following the terror attack in Pahalgam, after which India undertook calibrated diplomatic and strategic measures to safeguard its national security. In response to the attack, India scaled down diplomatic engagement and initiated policy steps reflecting its long-standing position that dialogue cannot coexist with terrorism. Among these measures was the suspension of participation in the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), a landmark 1960 agreement brokered by the World Bank, highlighting the seriousness with which India viewed the security situation, post the Pahalgam terror attack.
India also restricted cross-border transit and other bilateral engagements, reiterating that any engagement requires demonstrable action against terrorism from Pakistan and accountability for attacks targeting civilians. Against this backdrop, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir in response to the attack. Indian Armed Forces carried out precision strikes against terror camps operated by Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK). India subsequently repelled Pakistani escalation and targeted its airbases.
India has consistently emphasised that any engagement with Pakistan must be based on mutual respect, verifiable security assurances and a terrorism-free environment, while firmly safeguarding its national interests.
(With Inputs from ANI)
