Is Pakistan, distressed by the halting of ‘Operation Sindoor’ and ‘Indus Water Treaty’, now surrendering before India? Know the whole truth about the secret meeting held in Colombo, Sri Lanka…
India Pakistan Dialogue: In the year 2025, the Indian Army’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ broke the back of Pakistan-backed terrorism, and the rulers of Islamabad were shocked. India had launched ‘Operation Vermillion’ in May 2025, following the killing of 26 innocent civilians by Pakistani terrorists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir in April 2025. In this military action, terrorist camps, bases and launchpads operating in Pakistan and PoK were destroyed. After this military confrontation, political and diplomatic relations between the two countries came to a complete standstill. But now the news is coming that Pakistan, distressed by the attack of ‘Operation Sindoor’ and blocking of water by India, is trying to come closer to India through the back channel. It is being claimed that back channel talks have taken place in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, between some representatives of India and Pakistan. However, opinions from different parties have also come forward on this claim.
What is the whole matter?
A report in Pakistani newspaper ‘The Express Tribune’ claimed that talks took place between representatives of India and Pakistan during a security conference held in Colombo. According to reports, it included some former military officers, former diplomats and political representatives. The report also said that this conversation could reportedly take place within the ambit of ‘Track-1.5 Diplomacy’, where both government and non-government people are present. On the other hand, Indian newspaper ‘Hindustan Times’ has also confirmed this meeting, but described it as ‘Track-2’ dialogue (non-official conversation), in which no current official of India was involved.
Whose claims to attend the conference
According to reports, big faces from both sides were involved in this meeting. The Indian delegation included former BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav, former Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, former diplomat Ruchi Ghanshyam. While from Pakistan side, Sajjad Haider Khan (current diplomat, Ministry of External Affairs), former senator Sherry Rehman, Major General (retd) Isfandiyar Ali Khan Pataudi participated. During this time, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs S. Paul Kapoor also attended a special dinner. According to Sri Lankan media, the purpose of this conversation was to strengthen communication in times of crisis and prevent tension from escalating.
BJP leader Ram Madhav rejected the claims
When the controversy over the Colombo meeting escalated, BJP leader Ram Madhav, who was involved in it, completely rejected these claims on social media platform X. He described it as ‘giving a spin to a non-story’. Ram Madhav wrote, ‘This is a completely wrong portrayal. This was not a track-2 dialogue. This was the annual South Asia Dialogue of IISS, in which scholars from India, Sri Lanka, USA, UK, Afghanistan and Pakistan participated. Apart from this, an official of Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry also said on the condition of anonymity that he has no information about any meeting other than ‘Track 1’ (official talks). India has already rejected the claim of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in which he had said that India and Pakistan have agreed to hold peace talks at a neutral place.
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What are these ‘tracks’ of diplomacy?
Track 1 Diplomacy: It is completely official. It includes the governments of both the countries, current ministers, and authorized diplomats. Their decisions directly become policy.
Track 1.5 Diplomacy: This is a hybrid model. In this, both current government officials and non-government experts hold informal discussions together on the platform of a neutral think tank.
Track 2 Diplomacy: It is completely unofficial. Retired officers, academicians, journalists and experts are involved in this so that trust can be built between the two countries. Its decision is not binding on governments.
Has there really been any new initiative?
Senior journalist and national security analyst Nitin A Gokhale has also refused to consider this meeting as a new ‘India-Pakistan bilateral effort’. He wrote on According to Gokhale, due to the security situation in the Gulf countries, this time the IISS meeting was held in Colombo instead of Bahrain. It is ‘beyond exaggeration’ to see this as a new diplomatic beginning or a concession from India’s side. It was just an annual ‘talk shop’ (discussion forum).
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