speaker of the National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar shook hands in Dhaka on Wednesday, marking the first high-level contact between Pakistani and Indian officials since the military conflict in May of this year.
Relations between Islamabad and New Delhi reached their lowest point this year following an attack in Pahalagam, in Indian-occupied Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan, while Islamabad denied any connection and offered — and continues to offer — an independent probe.
A press release from the NA Secretariat stated that during Sadiq’s visit to Dhaka for former Bangladeshi prime minister Khaleda Zia’s funeral, Jaishankar approached him for a handshake.
“Indian External Minister Dr S Jaishankar approached the Speaker [of the] National Assembly and shaked hands,” the press release read.
“During this interaction, Dr S Jaishankar introduced himself to the speaker and told the speaker that he had recognised him [sic].”