Pakistan welcomes India dialogue voices

Pakistan said on May 14 that it welcomed voices in India calling for dialogue, using a weekly Foreign Office briefing in Islamabad to signal support for renewed engagement after months of strain. Foreign Office spokesman Tahir Andrabi said “constructive partnerships and talks are essential” for peace, security and shared prosperity, according to reports of the briefing. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The remarks came after former Indian army chief Gen (retd) Manoj Naravane publicly backed keeping a channel open between New Delhi and Islamabad. Andrabi added that Pakistan would wait to see whether those views drew an official response from India. (dawn.com) ### What exactly did Pakistan say at its briefing? Tahir Andrabi told reporters in Islamabad on Thursday that voices inside India calling for dialogue were “obviously a positive development,” and said Pakistan hoped “sanity will prevail” in India. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) He said constructive engagement was necessary to advance peace and prosperity, while stopping short of claiming any formal diplomatic opening. The Foreign Office remarks were framed as a response to comments by Indian figures rather than as a fresh bilateral initiative. Andrabi said Pakistan would see whether there was an “official reaction” in India to those calls, according to coverage of the briefing. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) ### Which Indian voices was Islamabad responding to? Manoj Naravane, a former Indian army chief, backed comments by RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale that there should always be a window for dialogue with Pakistan. Dawn reported that Naravane supported keeping that window open and argued that ties between ordinary people could help improve state-to-state relations. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The Economic Times reported that Naravane also pointed to people-to-people contact, sports and track-two engagement as useful channels even when official relations remain difficult. Those comments gave Pakistan an identifiable Indian military figure to cite, not only a political or activist voice. ### Why is Pakistan sounding receptive but still careful? (economictimes.indiatimes.com) Pakistan’s public language combined welcome with caution. Andrabi described the Indian comments as positive, but he did not announce talks, dates or any backchannel process, and instead said Islamabad was watching for an official Indian position. Dawn’s coverage of the debate in Pakistan said the remarks from Naravane and Hosabale did not amount to a breakthrough and were personal views, even if they came from influential figures. (dawn.com) That public caution matches Andrabi’s emphasis on waiting for a formal signal from New Delhi. ### How does this fit Pakistan’s broader diplomacy? Pakistan has repeatedly said since last year that it is open to dialogue with India. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) Dawn reported in May 2025 that Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told the Senate Pakistan wanted a “composite dialogue” with New Delhi and that political talks would ultimately be needed to address disputes between the two neighbors. The latest briefing also showed Islamabad trying to present itself as steady on other regional relationships. In a separate exchange on May 14, Andrabi said Pakistan’s ties with the United Arab Emirates were unaffected by the Gulf state’s outside engagements and remained based on mutual trust. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) ### What did Pakistan say about the UAE at the same briefing? Dawn reported that Andrabi said there was “absolutely no question” of negative aspersions on relations between Islamabad and Abu Dhabi. (dawn.com) He described the relationship as strong and said the same sentiment was shared in the UAE. Tallal Chaudhry, Pakistan’s minister of state for interior, separately told the National Assembly on the same day that relations with the UAE were “absolutely fine.” The parallel messaging suggested Pakistani officials wanted to close down speculation about strain with Abu Dhabi while discussing a wider regional role. (dawn.com) ### What is the next concrete sign to watch? New Delhi is the next named participant to watch because Andrabi said Pakistan would look for an official Indian response to the calls for dialogue. (dawn.com) No date for talks, envoy-level contact or public bilateral meeting was announced on May 14. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) (dawn.com)