Pakistan welcomes India dialogue calls

Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on May 14 that calls from within India for renewed dialogue were a “positive development,” while stopping short of treating them as a policy shift by New Delhi. Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said at a weekly briefing in Islamabad that Pakistan believed “constructive partnerships and sincere dialogue” were essential for peace, security and prosperity. He added that Islamabad would wait to see whether the comments from Indian public figures were matched by an official Indian response. The remarks came a year after a sharp India-Pakistan military crisis in May 2025 and after a ceasefire that Pakistan says was facilitated by friendly countries. ### Which Indian comments prompted Pakistan’s response? Former Indian army chief Manoj Naravane was among the Indian figures cited in questions to Andrabi at the May 14 briefing. Andrabi was also asked about comments by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, as well as other Indian voices favoring engagement with Pakistan. (mofa.gov.pk) Hosabale said in an interview aired this week that there should “always be a window for dialogue” between India and Pakistan and described people-to-people contact as important to breaking the deadlock in ties, according to Indian and Pakistani media reports. Naravane later backed that position, saying friendship between the two peoples could improve bilateral relations and stressing the value of civilian contact across the border. (dawn.com) ### What exactly did Pakistan say? Tahir Andrabi said on May 14 that “the voices within India calling for dialogue are obviously a positive development.” He added that Pakistan hoped “sanity will prevail in India” and that what he called “warmongering” and “belligerence” would fade. The Foreign Office’s official transcript used more formal language. (dawn.com) The text posted by Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the country continued to believe that “constructive partnerships and sincere dialogue are essential to advancing peace, security, and shared prosperity for all” and described diplomacy, respect for sovereignty and international engagement as the path to regional stability. (dawn.com) ### Why is Islamabad being careful about the tone? The Foreign Office said at the same briefing that it would wait for “an official reaction” from India before drawing conclusions from the recent comments. Andrabi also declined to endorse Indian media reports of any backchannel or track-two contacts, saying he was not aware of them and did not wish to comment. (mofa.gov.pk) That caution follows the breakdown in ties after the April 2025 attack in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir and the military escalation that followed in May 2025. Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a May 16, 2025 briefing that hostilities escalated after Indian action on May 7, 2025, and that the two countries’ directors general of military operations had remained in periodic contact since May 10, 2025 under a phased de-escalation mechanism. (tribune.com.pk) ### How does this fit with Pakistan’s broader diplomacy? The May 14 Foreign Office briefing linked the India comments with a wider account of Pakistan’s regional diplomacy. The official transcript said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had spent the previous week in contacts with counterparts from Qatar, Azerbaijan, Singapore, Iran and Saudi Arabia on regional tensions, maritime security and de-escalation. (mofa.gov.pk) The same briefing also referred to Pakistan’s engagement on Iran-U.S. tensions. The foreign ministry said Dar had remained in contact with counterparts as part of Pakistan’s efforts to promote peace and diplomatic channels, and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan had expressed support for Islamabad’s role in promoting regional stability. (mofa.gov.pk) ### Is there any sign of a formal India-Pakistan process yet? No formal bilateral process was announced on May 14. Pakistan’s position, as stated by Andrabi, was that favorable comments from Indian public figures were welcome but not enough on their own to indicate a government-to-government opening. The next public marker is likely to be any official comment from New Delhi or a further statement at Pakistan’s regular Foreign Office briefings. (mofa.gov.pk) Pakistan’s foreign ministry posted the May 14 transcript on its website, and that briefing also set out Islamabad’s current public line on India, Iran-U.S. tensions and regional contacts. (mofa.gov.pk) (tribune.com.pk)