Pakistan Tries to Project Dhaka Handshake With EAM Jaishankar, Pushes Talks to Avoid ‘Escalation’
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New Delhi, January 1: Pakistan’s leadership on Wednesday appeared to make a diplomatic pitch out of a routine courtesy handshake between India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Pakistan National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, amid severely strained bilateral relations following the Pahalgam terror attack.
The brief exchange took place on the sidelines of the funeral of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in Dhaka. It marked one of the rare visible senior-level contacts between the two countries since ties deteriorated earlier this year.
Pakistan Amplifies Courtesy Interaction
According to a statement issued by Pakistan’s National Assembly Secretariat, Islamabad claimed that the handshake occurred when EAM Jaishankar approached Ayaz Sadiq during the event, a narrative highlighted by Pakistani media outlet Dawn.
The statement further claimed that Pakistan has consistently advocated dialogue, restraint, and peace talks, including proposals for joint investigations, to prevent what it termed “unprovoked aggression and escalation” following recent tensions.
India Maintains Firm Stand After Pahalgam Attack
India-Pakistan relations sharply worsened after the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 tourists were killed. New Delhi has maintained that the attack was carried out by Pakistan-backed terror groups, reiterating that dialogue cannot continue alongside terrorism.
Following the attack, India adopted calibrated diplomatic and strategic measures to safeguard national security. These included scaling down diplomatic engagement and suspending participation in the Indus Waters Treaty, underlining the seriousness of the security situation.
India also restricted cross-border transit and other bilateral engagements, clearly stating that any talks would require verifiable action against terrorism and accountability for attacks on civilians.
Operation Sindoor and Military Response
Against this backdrop, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025. The operation targeted terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir in response to the Pahalgam attack.
Indian Armed Forces carried out precision strikes against camps run by Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba, and later successfully repelled Pakistani escalation while striking key airbases.
No Shift in India’s Policy
India has consistently emphasised that any engagement with Pakistan must be terrorism-free, based on mutual respect and credible security assurances. Officials have made it clear that symbolic gestures or isolated interactions do not signal any policy shift.
With Pakistan attempting to project diplomatic outreach from a brief handshake, New Delhi’s stance remains unchanged — national security and accountability for terrorism remain non-negotiable.
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