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Dhaka – High-profile interactions between senior officials of India and Pakistan took place in Dhaka on Wednesday.
The External Affairs Minister of India, S. Jaishankar, and the National Assembly Speaker of Pakistan Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, had a brief yet meaningful exchange on Wednesday.
This diplomatic breakthrough occurred in Dhaka, the home of the late former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who died on Tuesday at the age of 80.
It is the first direct contact between elite officials of the two nuclear-armed neighboring countries since the violent four-day military confrontation that took place in May 2025.
A Brief Handshake in Dhaka
Residents who were present at the home gave an account of a humane and professional atmosphere when Jaishankar went towards the seat of Sadiq.
There was a handshake between the two leaders, a smile on their faces, and a brief conversation that asked about the well-being of each other.
Although there were no official negotiations, the gesture is being considered a crucial diplomatic breakthrough considering the stalemate in the relations between a few months before it.
The two dignitaries were in the city to pay their respects at the state funeral of Begum Khaleda Zia, a personality who was revered in the region as the first woman to be elected as a prime minister in Bangladesh.
Also See: Bangladesh Bids Farewell to Khaleda Zia in State Funeral Marked by National Mourning
Moving Beyond the 2025 Conflict
The ties between New Delhi and Islamabad became strained earlier this year after tourists were attacked in Pahalgam in April.
This prompted a 4-day conflict in May, which saw fighter jets, missiles, and drones being used, which has cost lives on both sides before a ceasefire was brokered by the US.
The tension was even detected in the sports world, as athletes have been reported to have shunned shaking hands at the 2025 Asia Cup.
The diplomatic breakthrough of this week gives a sharp contrast to those frosty moments, indicating that even under the conditions of utter disagreement, the mutual civil decency may be preserved even at the margins of international events.
