Senior BJP leader and India Foundation President Ram Madhav has firmly dismissed recent rumors regarding a secret “Track-2” diplomatic channel between India and Pakistan. Clarifying the nature of a recent multilateral conference in Colombo, Madhav labeled the speculation a “disinformation campaign” and reiterated New Delhi’s stance that dialogue cannot coexist with state-sponsored cross-border terrorism.
Writing in an op-ed for The Indian Express, Madhav argued that the buzz surrounding the bilateral talks appeared to be a psychological operation (Psyop) designed to create confusion and suspicion within mainstream and social media circles.
The Colombo Conference: Multilateral, Not Bilateral
The source of the controversy stems from an annual South Asia conference hosted in Colombo by a London-based think tank. Madhav clarified the true nature of the event:
- A Decade-Old Academic Forum: The event is a long-standing, decade-old multilateral academic conference featuring scholars, former diplomats, military veterans, and regional experts.
- Multilateral Participation: The meeting included representatives from multiple countries—including the United States, the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan—making it a broad regional forum rather than a focused, bilateral India-Pakistan negotiation.
- Official Clarification: Madhav backed his statements by citing Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who formally stated that the conference did not constitute Track-2 diplomacy. By definition, true Track-2 diplomacy requires a backchannel bilateral dialogue carrying the tacit approval of both respective governments.
India Rejects Pakistan’s Overtures
Madhav, who addressed a single session at the Colombo event before departing, noted that while the Pakistani delegation appeared eager for a formal engagement with India, their sentiments were not reciprocated by the Indian side.
He reiterated that India has no fundamental reason to resume formal engagement while Pakistan’s terror infrastructure remains active. Highlighting past precedents, Madhav pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had previously extended significant diplomatic olive branches—including inviting former Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif to his 2014 inauguration and making a surprise visit to Lahore in 2015. However, India’s current position remains firm: structural engagement is impossible until cross-border terrorism is entirely dismantled.