Pakistan, India leaders meet in Bangladesh in rare post-war encounter

In a surprising development that caught Indian media off guard, Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met in Bangladesh during the funeral of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, Kamran Khan said on his program “On My Radar.”

The leaders shook hands, exchanged smiles, and held a brief conversation, marking the first high-level encounter between Islamabad and New Delhi since the May 2025 conflict.

Formal diplomatic and political contact between the two countries had been suspended since the war, making this meeting a surprising development. The encounter comes after years of tension, including instances where Indian cricket players refused to shake hands with Pakistani counterparts or accept trophies from Pakistani officials.

Jaishankar, who previously avoided physical contact with Pakistani leaders, notably refused to shake hands with Pakistan’s former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari at the 2023 Shanghai Cooperation Organization conference. At that time, he only offered a traditional “Namaste” and publicly criticized Pakistan using strong language.

Kamran Khan noted that the Dhaka meeting was unusual, especially as it occurred at the residence of a politician whose party is perceived as Pakistan-friendly and anti-India. Photographs of the meeting were shared on social media by Dr Mohammad Yunus, an adviser to Bangladesh’s interim government. It remains unclear if Yunus or Khaleda Zia’s son, Tarique Rahman—who is running for prime minister in February 2026—played any role in arranging the encounter.

Diplomatic experts say that even during periods of extreme tension or open conflict, back-channel diplomacy continues between Pakistan and India. Track-two efforts often involve former diplomats, think tanks, international media, and friendly third-party nations.

Following the May 2025 war, global attention turned to de-escalation, with former U.S. President Donald Trump publicly announcing a ceasefire, echoing his previous involvement after the 2019 India-Pakistan aerial incident.

Analysts say both countries face domestic and international pressure to avoid prolonged conflict. While the war strained official relations, many citizens and international observers favor dialogue to reduce hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbors.