New Delhi, Aug 14: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has told Parliament that individuals participating in Track-2 dialogues with Pakistan do so in their private capacity and their views do not represent those of the Government of India.
Responding to an unstarred question by Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge in the Rajya Sabha on the status of India-Pakistan engagement, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said engagements between think tanks and academicians of the two countries were outside the purview of the Government of India.
“Individuals participate in Track-2 dialogues in their private capacity, and their views do not reflect the views of the Government of India,” Singh said.
The Minister said India and Pakistan continue to maintain their respective diplomatic missions in each other’s capitals and have “functional engagements”, including DGMO-level talks, exchange of pre-notification of flight testing of ballistic missiles, exchange of lists of nuclear installations and exchange of lists of prisoners in each other’s custody.
On the Indus Waters Treaty, Singh said India had placed the treaty in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack of April 22, 2025.
“The Treaty will continue to be held in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism,” he said.
The government was asked whether any official channel of engagement with Pakistan, apart from the DGMO-level hotline established after the May 2025 ceasefire understanding, remained active, as well as its position on Track-2 dialogues and the status of the Indus Waters Treaty.
