Chicago – May 17, 2026
Calls for renewed engagement between India and Pakistan are gaining traction in India, with political leaders in India-held Kashmir also backing efforts to reduce tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
According to Dawn, former chief ministers of India-held Kashmir Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti have supported a recent call by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Secretary General Dattatreya Hosabale for the Indian government to open peace talks with Pakistan and encourage people-to-people contact between the two countries.
The report said both Abdullah and Mufti had previously faced criticism for advocating dialogue with Pakistan during periods of heightened hostility. However, the response appears to be different this time.
“It 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 from India has realised that war is no solution and dialogue is the only way forward,” Abdullah said, according to India’s NDTV report cited by Dawn.
Abdullah said the latest developments suggested there was now wider recognition in India that military confrontation could not resolve disputes and that negotiations were necessary.
