‘Not me, Jaishankar himself had come’: Pakistan praised itself on the handshake in Dhaka, made this big claim

Dhaka: Despite long-standing tensions between India and Pakistan, a small meeting at the funeral of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia has created a major controversy. Foreign Minister S. The handshake between Jaishankar and Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has now become a ‘big victory’ for Pakistani media and leaders.

Both the leaders were present during the state funeral of Khaleda Zia in Dhaka on 31 December 2025. The Pakistani side claims that Jaishankar himself came to Sadiq and shook hands. The Pakistan National Assembly Secretariat press release said that representatives of other countries were already present in the waiting room, Jaishankar greeted everyone and then deliberately met Sadiq.

Pakistani Speaker Ayaz Sadiq boasted, “I was talking to the Pakistani High Commissioner when Jaishankar came to me. He introduced himself and said – ‘Excellence, I recognize you, no need for introduction.’ There were cameras with them, they knew very well that this moment was being recorded and would be in the media.”

Sadiq described it as the first high-level contact between the two countries after the May 2025 military clash and claimed that Jaishankar was aware of its political importance. Calling it a step towards dialogue, Pakistan also reiterated its offer for talks.

However, the Indian side has described it as merely a formal courtesy meeting. According to sources, no political message or initiative should be read in it. This was just a general greeting at an international event, and not the beginning of any bilateral talks.

The head of the interim government of Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, had shared pictures of this meeting on social media, after which Pakistan publicized it widely. After the confrontation in May, the leaders of both the countries were maintaining distance from each other on public platforms, hence this handshake is making headlines.

Despite Pakistan’s efforts, India has made it clear that no dialogue is possible without a terrorism-free environment and credible security guarantees. This incident shows how even a simple courtesy can be given a political colour.