India-Pakistan Held Four Secret Diplomatic Meetings Since Operation Sindoor Despite Frozen Official Relations

Indian media reported on April 17-19, 2026 that India and Pakistan have maintained backchannel communication through at least four secret meetings since the May 2025 Operation Sindoor military confrontation, despite a complete freeze in official bilateral ties. Citing a Hindustan Times investigation, The Week disclosed that the meetings comprised two Track 1.5 dialogues — involving serving officials attending in a personal capacity — and two Track 2 meetings involving retired diplomats, military veterans, and think tanks. The London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) facilitated the Track 1.5 engagements: a first meeting in London in July 2025, described by participants as 'intense', at which Pakistan sent military officials while India did not, and a follow-up session in Oman in October 2025. Track 2 meetings were held in Thailand and in Doha, Qatar (February 2026), hosted by a UK-based think tank. WION separately confirmed that India-Pakistan Track 2 channels remained active, citing participants including former senior officials and academics from both countries. Neither government publicly confirmed the meetings; the exchanges are designed to 'help keep a channel open and gauge the temperature between the two sides' without creating political commitments. The disclosures indicate that below the surface of mutual deterrence rhetoric — including Pakistan threatening strikes on Kolkata and India warning of unprecedented retaliation — quiet diplomacy continues, consistent with the post-Kargil (1999) and post-Balakot (2019) patterns.