Overview
- A photo released by Bangladesh interim chief Muhammad Yunus’s office showed India’s foreign minister greeting Pakistan’s National Assembly speaker in Dhaka on December 31 during events for Khaleda Zia’s funeral.
- Pakistan’s National Assembly Secretariat described the moment as the first significant India-initiated senior contact since the May 2025 confrontation and said S. Jaishankar approached Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.
- Sadiq told Geo News that Jaishankar introduced himself, initiated the handshake, and understood the interaction would be recorded and reported.
- Indian government sources told PTI and Times Now the exchange was routine protocol rather than engagement and said there is no change in India’s stance on Pakistan.
- Ties remain tense after the April Pahalgam attack and India’s May Operation Sindoor, with New Delhi scaling down engagement, suspending participation in the Indus Waters Treaty, and restricting other channels.