Ex-Spymasters Debate India-Pak Peace

Dulat and Durrani reflect on mistrust, Kashmir and missed opportunities at Ideas of India 2026

February 28, 2026: At the Ideas of India 2026 summit hosted by ABP Network, former RAW chief A. S. Dulat and former ISI chief Asad Durrani engaged in a candid discussion on the fraught relationship between India and Pakistan. Dulat stressed that peace must remain an objective despite repeated setbacks, recalling how former prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh had made sustained efforts to improve ties. He noted that during Pervez Musharraf’s tenure, dialogue had appeared more promising, though breakthroughs ultimately proved elusive.

Durrani responded by questioning whether there was sufficient political will within India to pursue lasting peace, observing that altering the status quo requires sustained commitment on both sides. The exchange underscored decades of mistrust and missed openings that have defined bilateral engagement, even during moments when backchannel diplomacy seemed viable.

The conversation also touched on Jammu and Kashmir and the revocation of Article 370, with Dulat arguing that true normalcy requires engagement with Pakistan despite the long-standing debate over whether terror and dialogue can proceed simultaneously. Themes from their 2018 book, The Spy Chronicles, resurfaced, particularly the notion of an “illusion of peace” between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Set against the summit’s theme, ‘The New World Order,’ the discussion reflected the enduring complexity of South Asia’s most sensitive rivalry.