Pakistan Whines Again for ‘Meaningful Talks’ with India, New Delhi Remains Cautious

While India-Pakistan ties have never been smooth and normal, they turned even sour after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed over 20 innocent civilians. However, Pakistan has now expressed his interest in engaging with a dialogue with India on all outstanding issues.

Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan on Thursday (July 24) said they are ready for a dialogue on all outstanding issues, adding the next move depends on New Delhi.  The FO statement comes just a day after Pak Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made a similar comment.

What did Pakistan PM say on talks with India?

Showing interest in initiating “meaningful talks” with India, Sharif expressed Pakistan’s intent to resolve all outstanding issues through dialogue. He made the comment during a meeting with British High Commissioner Jane Marriott at the Prime Minister’s House.

The two discussed regional developments in South Asia and the Middle East, in addition to ongoing bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and the United Kingdom.

“The Prime Minister acknowledged the UK’s role in de-escalating tensions during the recent Pakistan-India standoff, and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to meaningful engagement with India on all unresolved matters,” the statement mentioned.

Will India go ahead with the talks with Pakistan?

Sharif and Pak FO’s remarks follow a familiar pattern that has made New Delhi skeptical. India perceives such overtures from Islamabad as part of a recurring narrative, often followed by reversal and hostile conduct.

Around 2 months back, the Pak PM extended a similar offer of dialogue with India. During his visit to Iran in May, Sharif had stated that Pakistan was committed to peace and open to negotiations with India. He emphasised that all issues, including the Kashmir dispute, should be addressed in accordance with UNSC resolutions.

Additionally, Sharif expressed willingness to engage in peaceful discussions on the Indus Waters Treaty. He further indicated that Pakistan was open to dialogue on enhancing trade and jointly countering terrorism, contingent upon India’s seriousness.

However, India’s stance is clear that terror and terrorism can’t go together. “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,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said earlier.

India further made it clear that any bilateral discussion on Jammu and Kashmir will only be on the vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan, and the Indus Waters Treaty will remain in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures cross-border terrorism.

Did US President Trump really broker ceasefire between India and Pakistan?

Since India’s retaliatory Operation Sindoor, US President Donald Trump has been continuously claiming to have broked a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, asserting that his administration used trade negotiations as leverage to halt escalating tensions.

Recently, he claimed that “four or five jets” were shot down during the conflict, though Trump did not categorically mention which side those jets belonged to. Further, despite India’s constant and formal denial of any US mediation, Trump reiterated that his intervention prevented a potential nuclear war, alleging the situation “a shame” and urging both nations to de-escalate.