Pakistan welcomes India dialogue calls

Pakistan’s Foreign Office used its weekly briefing on May 14 to welcome Indian voices calling for renewed contact, while stopping short of treating those remarks as a policy shift by New Delhi. Spokesman Tahir Andrabi said calls for dialogue were a “positive development” and said Islamabad would watch for an official response from the Indian government. The comments came after several Indian public figures, including former army chief Manoj Naravane, endorsed keeping channels open with Pakistan. The same briefing also addressed Pakistan’s ties with the United Arab Emirates and Islamabad’s contacts around U.S.-Iran tensions. ### Which Indian remarks prompted Pakistan’s response? Manoj Naravane, India’s former army chief, said people-to-people contact with Pakistan was “important” and described such engagement as a factor in regional stability, according to comments published by Outlook India on May 14. Naravane was backing remarks by RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, who had argued that a window for dialogue with Pakistan should remain open. The Express Tribune reported on May 15 that Andrabi was also asked about statements by Shashi Tharoor, former RAW chief A.S. Dulat and Hosabale advocating engagement with Pakistan. Andrabi said Pakistan would wait to see whether those voices translated into an official position in India. ### What exactly did Pakistan say? Tahir Andrabi said at the May 14 weekly briefing that “voices within India calling for a dialogue are obviously a positive development,” according to Indian and Pakistani media reports quoting the briefing. (outlookindia.com) He added that Pakistan hoped “sanity will prevail” and that what he described as “warmongering” and “belligerence” from recent months would recede. The same reports said Andrabi did not present the remarks from Indian public figures as a breakthrough. (tribune.com.pk) He said Pakistan would first look for an “official reaction” from New Delhi before drawing conclusions. Pakistan’s own Foreign Ministry transcript of the May 14 briefing set out the broader line without repeating those media excerpts verbatim. The ministry said Pakistan “continues to believe that constructive partnerships and sincere dialogue are essential” and described diplomacy as the path toward regional stability. (tribune.com.pk) ### Did Islamabad say anything about back channels? The Express Tribune reported that Andrabi declined to comment on reports of possible back-channel or track-two contacts between India and Pakistan. (tribune.com.pk) He said he was not aware of such contacts and did not wish to comment. Outlook India said Naravane’s remarks came after reports that former generals and retired diplomats from India and Pakistan had met in Qatar as the two sides explored informal back channels. (mofa.gov.pk) That account was attributed by Outlook to media reports, not to either government. ### Why were the UAE and Iran mentioned in the same briefing? Pakistan’s May 14 briefing also covered regional diplomacy beyond India. (tribune.com.pk) The Foreign Ministry transcript said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had spoken over the previous week with counterparts from Qatar and Azerbaijan, while Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had been in contact with U.N., Iranian, Saudi and Singaporean counterparts on regional issues. (outlookindia.com) The ministry said Dar discussed regional developments with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on May 8 and with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on May 11. The Saudi side, according to the Pakistani transcript, backed Islamabad’s efforts to promote regional peace and stability during ongoing engagement between Iran and the United States. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has separately said its engagement with Washington and Tehran is aimed at encouraging dialogue and de-escalation. (mofa.gov.pk) In an April 30 briefing transcript and a May 7 briefing summary, the ministry said Islamabad had maintained sustained interaction with both sides and viewed diplomacy as the route to stability. ### What should readers watch next? (mofa.gov.pk) May 14 is the latest on-the-record Pakistani statement tying Islamabad’s response to any “official reaction” from India, rather than to comments by retired officials or party figures alone. No Indian government announcement matching those remarks was cited in the materials reviewed. Pakistan’s next public signal is likely to come through another Foreign Office briefing or a statement from Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar if contacts advance. (mofa.gov.pk) On the Indian side, any formal move would most likely appear through the Ministry of External Affairs or named government officials rather than retired military figures or party functionaries. (mofa.gov.pk) (tribune.com.pk)