How India-Pakistan Track 2 talks have survived wars, terror attacks
For decades, and more recently, India and Pakistan have struggled to keep their official doors of dialogue open. Wars and terror attacks by Pakistan have
For decades, and more recently, India and Pakistan have struggled to keep their official doors of dialogue open. Wars and terror attacks by Pakistan have frequently led to periods of freeze in diplomatic ties. However, behind the scenes, a quieter form of diplomacy has survived in the shadows - known as Track 2 diplomacy. Thus, it should be no surprise that this unofficial channel has continued even after last year's Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor. Read Full Story Being nuclear states, India and Pakistan have periodically relied on Track 2 talks during times of heightened tensions, be it after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks or the Kargil war. However, these are not official government-to-government engagements (Track-1 diplomacy), and are mostly attended by former diplomats, military veterans and strategic experts. These hush-hush meetings are generally held in neutral countries, and the details are strictly kept under wraps. INDIA-PAKISTAN TRACK 2 TALKS Following last year's Operation Sindoor, at least five rounds of Track 2 dialogues have been held. Two of those happened last week in Colombo and Bangkok. As the meetings became public, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri understandably denied any official role in such engagements. "These are private events organised by private parties... Anybody from India who is participating in these events speaks for themselves. They do not in any way... represent the views of the government," Misri said. "We really take no cognisance of these events.
They really don't hold much value as far as we are concerned," he further said. The crucial bit of Misri's statement is not what he denied, but what he did not deny. He did not deny that the meetings happened, or that an Indian delegation was involved. He carefully only denied the government's involvement. But that is what Track 2 diplomacy is all about, isn't it? WHAT IS TRACK 2 DIPLOMACY? The concept was first introduced in the 1980s by former US diplomat Joseph Montville during the height of the Cold War. Montville noticed that formal diplomacy had its own limitations between warring countries. An informal mechanism like Track 2 allows participants from both sides to communicate frankly and explore issues at a deeper level without the fear of political or diplomatic repercussions. The idea is not to replace government-to-government negotiations, but prepare the ground for them. If something promising emerges during such Track 2 talks, it is passed up the ladder. This may eventually surface during Track 1 talks months or even years later. The recent Track 2 talks between India and Pakistan were essentially a bid to keep a fragile line of communication alive. This is crucial as India has always maintained that no "official talks" could occur between the two countries until Pakistan stopped its support for terror organisations. "Talks and terror cannot go together" has been frequently cited by several prime ministers, from Manmohan Singh to Narendra Modi.
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