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Jaishankar had shaken hands with Pakistani Parliament Speaker Ayaz Sadiq in Dhaka on December 31.
Pakistan Parliament Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has claimed that Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar himself came to shake hands with him. This meeting took place on December 31 in Dhaka during the last farewell program of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.
Ayaz Sadiq told a private TV channel on Wednesday night,
He himself came to me and said hello. I stood up, he introduced himself and shook hands with a smile. When I was about to introduce myself, he said, I recognize you, no need for introduction.
During this time representatives of Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives were also present there. This was the first time after Operation Sindoor between India and Pakistan in May, when senior leaders of both the countries met face to face and shook hands. For this reason this meeting was considered diplomatically important.
Pictures of the handshake were shared on the official social media accounts of Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Players did not shake hands in the cricket field
This meeting is also considered important because during the Asia Cup in September last year, the Indian cricket team had refused to shake hands with Pakistani players. This clearly showed how tense the relations between the two countries have become.
India had accused Pakistan for the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir in April last year. Indus Water Treaty postponed. Pakistan had denied these allegations.
After this, there was a four-day conflict between India and Pakistan in May. After this entire incident, relations between the two countries became very sour. In such an environment, this handshake that took place in Dhaka was shocking to many people.
Pakistan had lodged a complaint against Indian players for not shaking hands.
Will there be a change in the relations between the two countries?
According to the report of Al Jazeera, many experts of Pakistan called it a sign of slight softening in relations before the New Year. He says that it is necessary to return to normal behavior at least at the diplomatic level.
Islamabad’s foreign policy expert Mustafa Haider Syed told Al Jazeera, this conversation between Jaishankar and Ayaz Sadiq at the beginning of the new year is a positive step. He said,
At least it should be that officers respect each other and shake hands. Unfortunately, after the Indo-Pak war, this common courtesy also disappeared.
However, some experts in India believe that it should not be given much importance. According to him, shaking hands between two senior leaders present in the same room can also be a common courtesy.
According to experts, the bitterness created after the May 2025 conflict is so deep that it is difficult to improve relations quickly. At present, official communication between the two countries is almost at a standstill.
Former Pakistani ambassador said – this is a positive step
Former US Ambassador to Pakistan Sardar Masood Khan called it a positive step. He said,
It cannot be imagined that the Foreign Minister of India would suddenly shake hands with the Speaker of Pakistan without the permission of the Prime Minister and the top leadership of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
He reminded that at the time of the ceasefire announcement in May, America had encouraged both the countries to hold talks in a neutral country. However, India had then rejected this proposal.
India says that unless Pakistan stops cross-border terrorists from carrying out attacks in India, there is no point in talks. India has been accusing Pakistan of supporting terrorism for decades.
In recent years, Pakistan has also made similar allegations against India. Both countries deny each other’s allegations. However, Pakistan has sometimes admitted that the accused in some major attacks like the 2008 Mumbai attacks came from Pakistan.
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