DHAKA (Dunya News) - Speaker of Pakistan’s National Assembly, Ayaz Sadiq, and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar held a brief interaction in Dhaka on Wednesday, where they exchanged pleasantries and shook hands.
According to sources, the meeting took place on the sidelines of the funeral ceremonies of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.
According to sources, S. Jaishankar courteously approached Ayaz Sadiq and exchanged a handshake. During this brief meeting the two leaders shared cordial remarks, sources say.
The interaction occurred as dignitaries from across South Asia gathered in Dhaka to attend Khaleda Zia’s funeral prayers. Speaker Ayaz Sadiq represented Pakistan while senior regional officials and local leaders were also in attendance.
Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s funeral prayers were offered in Dhaka and were attended by thousands of people, including Bangladesh’s interim government Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.
Sources said the brief meeting between Ayaz Sadiq and Jaishankar was limited to an exchange of greetings, with no formal discussions held.
This marked the first interaction between representatives of Pakistan and India since the May conflict.
India-Pakistan aggression began with the killing of 26 tourists at a hill station in the Indian-occupied Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan for the attack, an accusation the latter denies. Islamabad has since called for an international independent probe into the massacre.
However, on the night of May 6-7, New Delhi took things a step forward and launched a series of missile strikes on Pakistan, resulting in civilian casualties. Both sides then exchanged missiles, which stretched over the week. It took American intervention for both sides to finally drop their guns.
Afterwards when tensions between the two countries peaked, US President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire had been reached between India and Pakistan.