Indian FM Jaishankar Interacts Pakistan’s NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq in Dhaka

DHAKA: Despite ongoing tensions between Pakistan and India, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held a meeting and exchanged a handshake with Pakistan’s Speaker of the National Assembly, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, in what political observers are calling a surprising development.

The meeting took place in Dhaka, where both leaders were present to attend the funeral of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. According to sources, Jaishankar personally walked over to Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, and the two leaders exchanged pleasantries during a brief and cordial interaction.

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This encounter marks the first high-level face-to-face meeting between leaders of the two countries since the conflict between Pakistan and India in May. Relations between the two neighbours have remained severely strained since the war, with most political and diplomatic contacts suspended.

Following the conflict, India had reportedly barred its cricket players from shaking hands with Pakistani players, although such gestures continued in other sporting events. It is also recalled that Jaishankar had visited Pakistan last year to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting, during which he met then Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

The unexpected interaction in Dhaka has drawn attention amid the continued diplomatic freeze between the two countries.