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Published : 01 Jan 2026, 12:53 AM
Top-level leaders from India and Pakistan have met in Dhaka for the first time since the brief war the two nuclear-armed nations fought in May.
They exchanged pleasantries during the last rites of former prime minister Khaleda Zia.
Pakistan National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq later provided an account of his conversation with Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar.
The leaders of the two arch rivals met on Wednesday at the parliament complex in Dhaka.
There, they separately met with the late BNP chief’s son Tarique Rahman to offer their condolences.
Later that evening, the Pakistan National Assembly’s X page described the handshake and exchange of greetings between Sadiq and Jaishankar.
The speaker subsequently reposted the update himself.
Earlier, the Chief Advisor’s Office (CAO) had reported on their meeting and exchange of greetings at the parliament.
During his visit to parliament, in the presence of foreign ministers and delegates of different countries, Sadiq signed the condolence book for the late Khaleda Zia, the Pakistan National Assembly said.
“Indian External Minister S Jaishankar approached the speaker and shook hands. During this interaction, Jaishankar introduced himself to the speaker and said that he had recognised him.” The X post noted, “This interaction marked the first significant high-level contact initiated by the Indian side following the Pakistan-India conflict in May 2025.
“It is noteworthy that Pakistan has consistently emphasised dialogue, restraint, and cooperative measures, including proposals for peace talks and joint investigations into the alleged False Flag Pahalgam incident.”
This encounter is the highest-level meeting between the policymakers of the two governments since the war ended in May.
Such a scene between officials of the arch-rivals has been rare in recent times.
Following a terrorist attack in Kashmir in April this year, the dispute between the two nations reached a peak.
BNP chairperson Khaleda passed away in Dhaka on Tuesday. To pay their final respects, these two leaders from India and Pakistan, alongside leaders from other nations, arrived in Dhaka.
The CAO released two photographs of Jaishankar exchanging greetings with Bhutanese Foreign Minister DN Dhungyel, alongside the Pakistani speaker.
News and images of the meeting between these top leaders of the rival nations have appeared in the media of both countries.
The heat generated during the war still persists between the two nations. Since then, there had been no meetings or encounters between their top leaders or high-ranking officials.
Tensions with neighbouring Pakistan erupted following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians.
India blamed Pakistan for the attack. While Islamabad denied any involvement, New Delhi vowed to retaliate.
Following this, in May, the two countries engaged in their most severe conflict in decades. During the four-day clash, both sides used missiles, drones, and fighter jets against each other. The conflict eventually halted following US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire announcement.
While Islamabad acknowledged the US role behind the ceasefire, New Delhi maintained that the pause in conflict resulted from direct communication between the armies of the two contending sides, rather than through any mediator.
