{"id":126049,"date":"2026-05-17T10:40:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T05:40:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/?p=126049"},"modified":"2026-05-17T10:40:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T05:40:27","slug":"india-pakistan-dialogue-push-gains-steam-in-held-kashmir-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/126049\/","title":{"rendered":"India-Pakistan dialogue push gains steam in held Kashmir too"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ISLAMABAD(National Times)- Just days after the\u00a0first anniversary<\/a>\u00a0of Marka-i-Haq, calls for dialogue with Pakistan have grown in India, with several leaders in India-held Kashmir among the latest to support efforts to end hostilities between the neighbouring nuclear powers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Former chief ministers of India-held Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, have backed the recent demand<\/a> by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Secretary General Dattatreya Hosabale for the Indian government to hold peace talks with Pakistan, alongside promoting people-to-people contact between the two countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to India\u2019s NDTV<\/em> report<\/a>, both Abdullah and Mufti have faced criticism in the past for advocating talks with Pakistan amid deepening hostilities between the two countries. However, the situation appears to be different this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is a very significant move that the RSS leader called for talks with Pakistan, and a former army chief [retired Gen Manoj Naravane] has backed his statement. I am glad that somebody is now realising that war is not an option. Dialogue is essential and we must always pursue it to resolve our problems,\u201d said Abdullah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mufti said the RSS leader\u2019s statement vindicates her party\u2019s position. \u201cIt vindicates the stand of the PDP [Peoples Democratic Party] that if we are to bring peace to Jammu and Kashmir, the window for dialogue must remain open,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sajad Kargili, leader of the Kargil Democratic Alliance, said: \u201cAs residents of the border region of Kargil, we greatly value initiatives that help foster better relations with our neighbours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview with Press Trust of India aired on May 12, Hosabale said there \u201cshould always be a window for dialogue\u201d between Pakistan and India, describing people-to-people contact as key to breaking the deadlock in bilateral ties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Responding to a query, Hosabale said: \u201cIf Pakistan acts like a pinprick by creating incidents such as Pulwama, we must respond appropriately according to the situation, because the security and self-respect of a country and nation must be protected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the RSS secretary general added: \u201cAt the same time, we should not close the doors. We should always be ready to engage in dialogue. That is why diplomatic relations are maintained, trade and commerce continue, and visas are issued. We should not stop these.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Delhi launched<\/a> air strikes on Pakistan on May 6, 2025, over allegations linked to the Pahalgam shooting, but got a befitting response from PAF, following which US intervention helped secure a ceasefire. India earlier suspended<\/a> the Indus Waters Treaty, a move Pakistan\u2019s military leadership called \u2018weaponisation of water\u2019 and \u2018an act of war\u2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ISLAMABAD(National Times)- Just days after the\u00a0first anniversary\u00a0of Marka-i-Haq, calls for dialogue with Pakistan have grown in India, with several leaders in India-held Kashmir among the latest to support efforts to end hostilities between the neighbouring nuclear powers. Former chief ministers of India-held Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, have backed the recent demand by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":126050,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nIndia-Pakistan dialogue push gains steam in held Kashmir too - Nation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nationaltimes.pk\/eng\/2026\/126049\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"India-Pakistan dialogue push gains steam in held Kashmir too - Nation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"ISLAMABAD(National Times)- Just days after the\u00a0first anniversary\u00a0of Marka-i-Haq, calls for dialogue with Pakistan have grown in India, with several leaders in India-held Kashmir among the latest to support efforts to end hostilities between the neighbouring nuclear powers. 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