Talks And Terrorism Cannot Go Together: Ram Madhav On Why There Is No Track-2 With Pakistan

Last Updated:July 04, 2026, 11:36 IST

Calling the Track-2 buzz a disinformation campaign, Ram Madhav said India had no reason to engage Pakistan while terror infrastructure remained active.

Amid speculation over a possible Track-2 dialogue between India and Pakistan after a recent conference in Colombo, Ram Madhav has dismissed the buzz as a disinformation campaign and said New Delhi has no reason to resume engagement with Islamabad while Pakistan continues to use terrorism as a state instrument.

Writing in an op-ed for The Indian Express, Madhav, a senior BJP leader and president of the India Foundation, said the recent buzz around a “fictitious" Track-2 channel between India and Pakistan appeared to be a case of Psyop, or psychological operations, aimed at creating suspicion and confusion. He said the claim was picked up by sections of mainstream and social media in India without verifying what the Colombo meeting actually was.

At the centre of the controversy was an annual South Asia conference hosted by a London-based think tank. Madhav said the event has been held for more than a decade and is attended by scholars, former diplomats, military and intelligence veterans, and occasionally politicians and serving officials from several countries.

According to him, the Colombo conference had participants from the US, the UK, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. That, he argued, made it a multilateral academic event, not a bilateral India-Pakistan Track-2 dialogue.

Madhav also cited Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s clarification that the conference was not part of Track-2 diplomacy. He said Track-2 diplomacy refers to a bilateral dialogue channel that has the tacit approval of governments, and does not involve representatives from several countries.

‘Pakistan Wanted Engagement, India Did Not Reciprocate’

Madhav said he addressed one session at the Colombo conference and left. While the Pakistani side appeared eager for a formal engagement with India, he said that sentiment was not reciprocated.

Explaining India’s position, Madhav pointed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s earlier outreach to Pakistan. PM Modi had invited then Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to his oath-taking ceremony in 2014 and later made an unscheduled visit to Lahore in 2015.

However, Madhav said Pakistan responded to those gestures with the Uri and Pulwama terror attacks, after which the Modi government decided to shut down most forms of direct engagement with Islamabad.

He argued that Pakistan is frustrated by India’s refusal to engage, especially as New Delhi continues to deepen ties with major global powers while ignoring Islamabad’s overtures. Under PM Modi, he wrote, India no longer wants to be viewed through the old India-Pakistan hyphenation.

Pahalgam, Operation Sindoor And India’s ‘New Normal’

Madhav said the Pahalgam terror attack showed that Pakistan’s approach towards India had not changed. He said the attack reinforced New Delhi’s belief that Islamabad continues to rely on terrorism as an instrument of state policy.

After Pahalgam, India launched Operation Sindoor and targeted terror camps inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, eliminating at least 100 terrorists. Madhav said PM Modi’s message after the operation was clear: such responses would be the “new normal" in India’s dealing with Pakistan.

He also referred to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s statement at the UN General Assembly that he wanted to “win peace" with India, but argued that Pakistan’s conduct on the ground did not match its public messaging.

Madhav said there had been no major terror attack in India after Pahalgam, but credited that to India’s security and intelligence agencies rather than any change in Pakistan’s behaviour.

He alleged that Pakistan continues to shelter terror infrastructure, referring to Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Saifullah Kasuri and Jaish-e-Mohammad’s recruitment efforts. He also said Indian forces had foiled multiple infiltration attempts from across the border.

‘Talks And Terrorism Can’t Go Together’

Madhav said Pakistan is now trying to project itself as a champion of peace, including after its role in efforts around the US-Iran peace deal. But, he argued, India has seen Pakistan’s “true colours" and remains firm on its long-held position.

For New Delhi, he wrote, the message remains unchanged: talks and terrorism cannot go together. Madhav said that was India’s consistent stand at all forums, including in Colombo.

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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