Ram Madhav dismisses India-Pakistan talks buzz, says Islamabad must end terrorism first

BJP leader and India Foundation president Ram Madhav has dismissed speculation of India-Pakistan track-2 talks, saying dialogue is impossible until Islamabad stops using terrorism as state policy. He cited the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor to underline India's firm stance.

Senior BJP leader and India Foundation president Ram Madhav has firmly rejected speculation about any behind-the-scenes talks between India and Pakistan. He said there is no reason for India to open a dialogue with Pakistan at this stage, since Islamabad continues to treat terrorism as a tool of state policy.

Madhav made these remarks in an article he wrote for the Indian Express. He said projecting a recent conference held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, as an India-Pakistan track-2 dialogue looks like a deliberate psychological operation or disinformation campaign aimed at sowing confusion and doubt inside India.

What Ram Madhav said about the Colombo conference
Madhav clarified that the Colombo conference was not a bilateral India-Pakistan meeting. It was a multilateral gathering focused on South Asian issues, attended by experts, former diplomats, military officials and representatives from several countries including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the United States, the United Kingdom and Afghanistan. He said he addressed only one session at the conference before returning to India.

According to him, Pakistan did show an inclination toward formal talks, but India showed no interest in engaging on that front. Madhav also pointed out that India's Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri, has already made it clear that the conference was not part of any track-2 diplomacy between the two countries.

How the Modi government has handled Pakistan
Madhav recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a genuine effort to improve ties with Pakistan during his first term in office. In 2014, he invited then Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to his swearing-in ceremony, and in 2015 he made a surprise stopover visit to Lahore. However, terror attacks in Uri and Pulwama followed soon after these gestures. Madhav said these attacks led the Modi government to scale back almost all direct engagement with Pakistan in the years that followed.

The Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor
Madhav said the terror attack in Pahalgam proves that Pakistan's approach and thinking have not changed at all. In response to that attack, India launched Operation Sindoor, striking terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and killing a large number of terrorists in the process. He noted that Prime Minister Modi made it clear after the operation that such a firm response to terrorism would now be India's new normal going forward.

Talk of peace, a different reality on the ground
Madhav also referred to statements on peace made by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He said Pakistan talks about peace at international forums, but its conduct on the ground tells a completely different story. He alleged that Pakistan continues to shelter terror infrastructure even today, and that attempts at cross-border infiltration are ongoing, even as Indian security agencies keep foiling them one after another.

Madhav said India's policy on this front is unambiguous. Meaningful talks between the two countries are not possible until Pakistan stops supporting and using terrorism as an instrument of policy. He reiterated that talks and terrorism cannot go hand in hand, calling it India's consistent and long-standing position.

What this means for you
• Across India: With no formal talks or softening expected with Pakistan, the government's current hardline security posture along the border is likely to continue.
• Security outlook: By calling actions like Operation Sindoor India's new normal, the government signals it will keep responding militarily to major terror attacks rather than opening dialogue first.

Questions & Answers

1. Who is Ram Madhav?
Ram Madhav is a senior BJP leader and the president of the India Foundation.

2. Are India and Pakistan actually holding track-2 talks?
According to Ram Madhav, they are not, the Colombo conference was a multilateral event, not a bilateral track-2 dialogue.

3. Who attended the Colombo conference?
Experts, former diplomats and military officials from several countries including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the United States, the United Kingdom and Afghanistan attended it.

4. What was Operation Sindoor?
In response to the Pahalgam attack, India struck terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, killing a large number of terrorists.

5. What does Ram Madhav say about India's Pakistan policy?
He says meaningful talks are not possible until Pakistan stops supporting terrorism.

6. What did Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri say about the conference?
He had already clarified that the Colombo conference was not part of any track-2 diplomacy.

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