India and Pakistan have not been in a dialogue since 2016 when talks broke after the terror attacks at Pathankot and subsequently at Uri. The previous twelve years have witnessed major attacks at Pahalgam (2025) and Pulwama (2019) and that apart there were several smaller terror attacks.

Earlier this month, a group of eminent citizens led by Gandhian O.P. Shah drafted a joint appeal to the leaders of India and Pakistan urging them to restart dialogue. This has restarted a public debate on whether it is the right time for both India and Pakistan to sit down for talks.

Guest: Former MP Mani Shankar Aiyar, who is a signatory to the letter and Tara Kartha, former Director at the National Security Council Secretariat. Excerpts from the conversation.

Host: Kallol Bhattacherjee

Producer: Jude Weston

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