Pakistan welcomes India dialogue voices

Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on May 14 that voices in India calling for dialogue were a “positive development,” as Islamabad publicly welcomed comments by retired Indian army chief Manoj Naravane and other Indian figures urging contact after a period of military tension. Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi made the remarks at a weekly briefing in Islamabad, where he also said Pakistan remained committed to diplomacy and was watching for any official response from New Delhi. Pakistan’s comments came after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire and amid continued strain in ties between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. Andrabi also used the same briefing to reject reports of backchannel contacts, reaffirm Pakistan’s role in U.S.-Iran diplomacy and defend ties with the United Arab Emirates. ### Which Indian comments did Pakistan say it was responding to? Manoj Naravane, a former Indian army chief, backed calls for keeping a window for dialogue with Pakistan open and said people-to-people contact was important for regional stability, according to Indian media reports. Pakistan’s Foreign Office was asked directly about those remarks during the May 14 briefing. (dawn.com) Tahir Andrabi said “the voices within India calling for dialogue are obviously a positive development” and added that Pakistan hoped “sanity will prevail in India.” He said Islamabad would wait to see whether those voices led to any official reaction from the Indian government. ### Did Pakistan say formal talks with India were under way? (outlookindia.com) Pakistan’s Foreign Office did not confirm any active backchannel or Track II process with India. Andrabi said he was not aware of such contacts and did not want to comment on them, adding that if he were to comment, “there would be no backchannel.” The same briefing also stressed military caution along the Line of Control. (dawn.com) Andrabi said Pakistani troops remained vigilant against “any misadventure, any firing, any violation of the ceasefire,” according to reports of the briefing. ### Why was the India dialogue question raised in a broader foreign-policy briefing? (dawn.com) Islamabad used the May 14 briefing to place the India comments inside a wider diplomatic message. Pakistan’s official transcript said the country believed “constructive partnerships and sincere dialogue” were essential for peace, security and shared prosperity, and that it remained committed to diplomacy, sovereignty and “meaningful international engagement.” (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The official transcript also listed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s calls with Qatar and Azerbaijan and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s contacts with U.N., Saudi, Singaporean and Iranian counterparts as part of Pakistan’s recent diplomatic outreach. Those contacts were presented by Islamabad as part of efforts to promote dialogue and de-escalation in the region. (mofa.gov.pk) ### What did Pakistan say about the Iranian aircraft reports? Pakistan said earlier this week that reports about Iranian military aircraft at a Pakistani air base were misleading and exaggerated. Pakistani officials said the aircraft presence was linked to diplomatic and logistical requirements during the U.S.-Iran ceasefire period, not to any military contingency. (mofa.gov.pk) On May 14, Andrabi said Pakistan remained engaged in efforts for a durable peace between the United States and Iran and described that process as still intact, though dependent on the two principal parties. Pakistan’s public line was that it remained involved but that momentum in the talks ultimately rested with Washington and Tehran. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) ### Why did Pakistan also bring up the UAE? The United Arab Emirates came up because Pakistani officials were pushing back against reports of strain in bilateral ties. Andrabi said Pakistan-UAE relations were “strong” and “brotherly,” cited a 2.2 million-strong Pakistani diaspora in the UAE and put bilateral trade at close to $8 billion. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) Dawn reported that Andrabi said there was “absolutely no question” of negative aspersions on ties with Abu Dhabi and that Pakistan’s relationship with the UAE was unaffected by the Gulf state’s other external engagements. That formulation placed the India dialogue comments alongside Pakistan’s broader effort to present itself as diplomatically active across several fronts at once. (dawn.com) May 14 is the latest verified public briefing in which Islamabad tied its India comments to wider regional diplomacy. The next concrete marker is Pakistan’s next weekly Foreign Office briefing or any official Indian government response to the remarks cited by Andrabi, including those by Naravane and RSS leader Dattatreya Hosabale. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) (dawn.com)