Govt distances itself from India-Pak Track-2 chatter, foreign secretary says such events have little value

The Government of India on Monday distanced itself from reports of Track-2 diplomacy involving Indian and Pakistani participants, with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri making it clear that New Delhi has no official role in such engagements.

"I have seen the reports. Dozens of these kinds of events take place. There is nothing new and nothing special about these events," Misri told CNN-News18.

Responding to reports about a recent meeting involving Indian and Pakistani delegates in Colombo, Misri said such interactions are neither new nor significant and do not reflect the government's position on bilateral ties.

He stressed that they are private events organised by private organisations and have no official backing from the Government of India.

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'No official participation or support'

Misri said the Indian government neither participates in nor endorses Track-2 dialogues with Pakistan.

"As far as the Government of India is concerned, there is no official participation and no official support," Misri said.

He added that retired diplomats, former officials or other Indian participants attending such meetings express only their personal opinions.

"Anybody from India participating in these events, including retired diplomats and others, speaks for themselves. They represent their own point of view and not the views of the Government of India," he said.

Misri also downplayed the significance of such engagements, stating that they "do not hold much value" from the government's perspective.

Remarks come after Colombo meeting reports

The clarification comes after reports suggested that Indian and Pakistani delegates held fresh Track-2 discussions on the sidelines of the International Institute for Strategic Studies' (IISS) South Asia Dialogue in Colombo.

According to the reports, the informal discussions involved politicians, retired military officers and former diplomats from both countries. It was claimed that the Indian delegation included senior BJP leader and India Foundation President Ram Madhav, former Army Chief General MM Naravane and former Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Ruchi Ghanashyam.

The Pakistani delegation was reported to have included senior officials and former diplomats, including Sajjad Haider Khan, Sherry Rehman and retired Major General Isfandiyar Ali Khan Pataudi.

Ram Madhav rejects reports

Soon after the reports emerged, Ram Madhav denied participating in any India-Pakistan Track-2 dialogue.

Calling the reports a "totally wrong portrayal", Madhav said he had attended only one session of the multilateral IISS conference as a speaker and did not participate in any separate backchannel discussions with Pakistani delegates.

In a post on X, Madhav said the conference brought together participants from several countries, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the United States, the United Kingdom and Afghanistan.

"I did not attend the two-day dialogue. I was invited to speak at one session, which I did and left. Complete spin to a non-story," he said.