India has issued a categorical denial of reports suggesting any form of back-channel or Track-2 diplomacy with Pakistan, making it clear that such interactions hold no official recognition or value for New Delhi.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, speaking from Victoria in Seychelles, dismissed recent media narratives that hinted at intensified unofficial engagements between the two countries.

The denial comes against the backdrop of a complete freeze in bilateral relations, which collapsed to a historic low after Pakistani state-sponsored terrorists killed 26 civilians in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in April 2025.

In retaliation, India launched "Operation Sindoor" in May 2025, striking terror camps, bases, and launchpads across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Since then, formal diplomatic ties have remained suspended, with only the hotline between the Directors General of Military Operations of both nations still functioning.

Reports had claimed that Track-2 diplomacy, traditionally involving retired diplomats, military officers, academics, journalists, and civil society representatives, had shifted from dispute resolution to conflict management. Some accounts even suggested that retired defence officials and individuals close to ruling circles in both countries had met in Colombo on the sidelines of a security conference.

Foreign Secretary Misri, however, rejected these claims outright. He explained that such events are private initiatives organised by private parties and carry no official endorsement from the Government of India. He emphasised that participants from India, whether retired diplomats, military officials, or civil society members, speak only for themselves and not for the state. "We really take no cognisance of these events. They really don't hold much value, as far as we are concerned," he asserted.

Misri further clarified that India has no involvement, support, or participation in these unofficial gatherings. He underscored that New Delhi’s principled stand remains unchanged: unauthorised engagements do not represent the government’s position and cannot be construed as diplomacy.

The broader context of this rejection lies in Pakistan’s continued reliance on cross-border terrorism and its unilateral downgrading of ties after India abrogated Article 370 on 5 August 2019, removing Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. Relations deteriorated further after the Pahalgam terror attack, leaving no direct trade or diplomatic exchanges between the two neighbours.

India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty following the Pahalgam attack marked a decisive step in its strategy of isolating Pakistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s declaration that "blood and water cannot flow together" reinforced this stance. The suspension has profound consequences for Pakistan, whose agriculture and power generation depend heavily on the Indus waters.

The rejection of Track-2 diplomacy thus reflects India’s broader policy of maintaining a strategic freeze with Pakistan until Islamabad abandons its support for terrorism.

New Delhi’s position highlights that private dialogues, however frequent, cannot substitute for official diplomacy, and India will not legitimise them under current circumstances.

ANI