‘Complete Spin’: Ram Madhav Denies Attending India-Pakistan Track 2 Talks In Colombo

Last Updated:June 27, 2026, 13:43 IST

The senior BJP leader said the Colombo event was an annual regional conference involving participants from several countries, not an India-Pakistan Track 2 dialogue.

Senior BJP leader Ram Madhav, who is also president of the India Foundation, has rejected a report portraying his participation in a regional security conference in Colombo as part of Track 2 diplomacy between India and Pakistan, calling it a “complete spin to a non-story".

The controversy arose after a report said Indian and Pakistani delegations, comprising politicians, retired military officers and diplomats, had participated in Track 2 discussions on the sidelines of a regional security conference organised by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in Colombo.

The report identified Madhav, former Army chief General MM Naravane and former Indian diplomat Ruchi Ghanashyam among the Indian participants. It also said Pakistani representatives included former diplomat Sajjad Haider Khan, former minister Sherry Rehman and retired Major General Isfandiyar Ali Khan Pataudi.

A user on X shared the report with the claim: “Ram Madhav of the RSS and former Army Chief Naravane were a part of the Track-II meeting in Colombo with Pakistan, organised by a British think tank."

The post further said US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs S Paul Kapur had joined the participants for a special dinner.

Responding to the post, Madhav said the event was the IISS annual South Asia Dialogue and not a Track 2 engagement between India and Pakistan.

“Totally wrong portrayal. It was not any track 2 dialogue. It was IISS annual South Asia Dialogue which was attended by scholars from India, Sri Lanka, US, UK, Afghanistan n Pakistan. Even officials attended this annual dialogue in d past. No track 2 is held with so many countries," Madhav wrote.

He also clarified that he had not attended the entire two-day conference and had only been invited to address one session.

“I did not attend d 2-day dialogue. I was invited to speak at one session which I did n left. Complete spin to a non-story," he said.

What The Report Claimed

According to the report, the Indian and Pakistani representatives held separate discussions for around a day and a half during the conference at the Hilton Colombo.

The report described the interaction as the latest in a series of backchannel contacts between the two countries following their four-day military confrontation in May 2025. It said the discussions covered terrorism, the sharing of waters of cross-border rivers, strengthening communication during crises and possible measures to prevent escalation.

It further reported that the Colombo meeting did not produce any significant outcome.

The report also cited an unnamed Indian official as saying the contacts should not be linked to formal talks between the two governments.

“We have a clear and consistent position — terrorism and talks cannot go together. There is no official connection to these contacts," the official was quoted as saying.

The report said serving Pakistani diplomat Sajjad Haider Khan and other former officials participated in the discussions, while no serving Indian official was part of the Indian delegation.

Madhav Disputes ‘Track 2’ Characterisation

While the report presented the Indian and Pakistani interactions as Track 2 discussions held on the conference’s margins, Madhav maintained that the gathering was a broader annual regional dialogue involving participants from several countries.

Track 2 diplomacy generally refers to unofficial engagement involving former officials, academics, experts and civil society representatives, rather than formal negotiations between serving government representatives.

Madhav argued that the participation of scholars and representatives from several countries made it incorrect to describe the event as an India-Pakistan Track 2 dialogue.

About the Author

Karishma Jain

Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follo...Read More

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