Dhaka, December 31, 2025: Speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq and Indian External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar shook hands in Dhaka on Wednesday, marking the first high-level interaction between officials of Pakistan and India since the military conflict between the two countries in May this year.
According to a press release issued by the National Assembly Secretariat, the interaction took place on the sidelines of former Bangladeshi prime minister Khaleda Zia’s funeral, which both leaders attended. The statement said that Dr Jaishankar approached Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and initiated the handshake.
“Indian External Minister Dr S. Jaishankar approached the Speaker National Assembly and shook hands,” the press release said, adding that the Indian minister introduced himself and said that he had recognised the Pakistani speaker.
Pakistan–India relations sharply deteriorated earlier this year following an attack in Pahalgam, located in Indian-occupied Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan for the incident, allegations that Islamabad strongly denied. Pakistan also offered, and continues to offer, an independent and transparent investigation into what it has described as a possible false-flag operation.
The NA Secretariat’s statement reiterated that since the Pahalgam incident, Pakistan has consistently emphasised dialogue, restraint and cooperative measures, including proposals for peace talks and joint investigations, in order to prevent escalation and unprovoked aggression.
Following the attack, India announced a series of unilateral diplomatic measures against Pakistan. Among them, the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) emerged as the most serious step. The landmark 1960 agreement, brokered by the World Bank, had survived wars and decades of hostility, making its suspension a significant turning point in bilateral relations.
India also downgraded diplomatic ties further by closing the main border transit point, framing the attack as a major provocation requiring diplomatic, economic and logistical pressure on Pakistan.
Despite Pakistan’s calls for an independent probe and its rejection of Indian accusations, New Delhi carried out air strikes in Punjab and Azad Kashmir on May 7, triggering a four-day military confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. The clashes involved retaliatory strikes on airbases by both sides and eventually ended following American intervention on May 10, which led to a ceasefire.
In June, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) issued a Supplemental Award of Competence, stating that India cannot unilaterally place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance.
Earlier this month, Pakistan’s Foreign Office also raised concerns over what it termed India’s “weaponisation of water” after sudden fluctuations in the flow of the Chenab and Jhelum rivers caused alarm among farmers in Punjab.
Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar had noted that the PCA reaffirmed the continued validity of the Indus Waters Treaty and its dispute-resolution mechanisms, while also citing concerns expressed by UN rapporteurs regarding India’s actions related to the treaty.
