India has no role in India-Pak track 2 talks, says Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri clarified that the Government of India has no official involvement in Track 2 discussions between Indian and Pakistani participants, stressing that such engagements are private initiatives and do not reflect New Delhi's position.
Responding to reports that retired Indian and Pakistani diplomats, military officials and politicians recently participated in Track 2 talks on the sidelines of a regional security conference in Colombo, Misri said the government neither supports nor takes cognisance of such events.
Speaking to the media in Victoria, Seychelles, Misri said similar discussions are organised regularly across the world by private organisations and there is "nothing new or special" about them.
"As far as we are concerned, these are private events organised by private parties. There is nothing official about them," he said.
The Foreign Secretary emphasised that retired diplomats, former military officers and members of civil society attending such meetings do so in their personal capacities and do not represent the Government of India.
"There is no official participation, no official support or involvement in these visits. Anybody from India participating in these events speaks for themselves and represents only their own point of view," Misri said.
He reiterated that the views expressed during such interactions cannot be interpreted as the Indian government's official stand on bilateral relations with Pakistan.
"We really take no cognisance of these events. They really don't hold much value, as far as we are concerned," Misri added.
His remarks came amid renewed attention on informal India-Pakistan engagements after reports emerged of Track 2 discussions involving former officials from both countries during a regional security conference held in Colombo last week.
Track 2 diplomacy generally involves unofficial dialogues between retired officials, experts and civil society representatives aimed at discussing issues of mutual concern outside formal government channels. However, India has maintained that such initiatives are independent and have no bearing on its official policy or diplomatic engagement with Pakistan.
