Pakistan has expressed its readiness to resume dialogue with India following four days of military clashes, which ended with a US-brokered ceasefire on May 10. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stated that Pakistan is 'ready but not desperate' for talks at any level, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive dialogue covering issues such as water rights.
Former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has advocated for intelligence cooperation between Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) to combat terrorism in South Asia. He argued that such collaboration could significantly reduce terrorism in both countries and referenced the fate of 1.5 to 1.7 billion people in the region. Bhutto-Zardari also called for the establishment of a mutually agreed platform for joint investigation of terrorist incidents.
Tensions escalated after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists. India attributed the attack to Pakistan-backed terrorists, a claim denied by Islamabad. The subsequent conflict, referred to as Operation Sindoor, involved jets, missiles, drones, and artillery. Pakistan suffered significant losses, including multiple aircraft and unmanned systems.
Pakistan has raised concerns over India's suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, which governs water sharing between the two countries, and described it as an attempt to weaponize water. The Pakistani delegation, led by Bhutto-Zardari, addressed these issues at the United Nations and urged continued international engagement. The US, with President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, played a role in brokering the ceasefire. India maintains that any dialogue should focus on counterterrorism, while Pakistan seeks a broader agenda.
ICYMI: #Pakistan is “ready but not desperate” for talks with arch-rival #India, its foreign minister says, in remarks that underline the lack of a thaw between the two nuclear-armed neighbors following their worst military conflict in decades.
