116 Indian and Pakistani Civil Society Leaders Appeal for Revival of Bilateral Dialogue

In a letter dated June 30, 2026 and coordinated by O.P. Shah's New Delhi-based Centre for Peace and Progress, 61 Indian and 55 Pakistani signatories — including former J&K Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, former RAW chief A.S. Dulat, Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha, Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, former Union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, former Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, and former diplomat Ashraf Jehangir Qazi — appealed to Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif to take 'meaningful and sustained steps' to restore peace, dialogue and cooperation. The letter urged restoration of full diplomatic relations, reinstatement of high commissioners in New Delhi and Islamabad, resumption of normal visa services, and reopening of transport links including the Lahore-Delhi bus, Samjhauta Express, Thar Express, and Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, declaring 'sustained engagement and dialogue remain the only viable path to resolving differences.' The appeal drew immediate domestic backlash in India: BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla and other party figures accused the Indian signatories of pitching talks with a 'terror sponsor' and disrespecting the armed forces' sacrifices, reflecting the continued political costliness of any dialogue overture nearly nine months after the Pahalgam attack.