NEW DELHI, June 1 —For the first time since the May 7–10 military skirmishes between India and Pakistan, senior officials from both nations appeared in shared spaces at international platforms within a span of two days — signaling a subtle but notable shift in optics following Operation Sindoor.
On Friday, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh participated in the International Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, where Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was also present. Singh posted a group photograph on X, showing both Indian and Pakistani representatives in the same frame — Singh in the third row and Sharif seated in the front.
On Saturday, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan attended the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, where General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chairman of Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, was also photographed. While both took part in separate sessions, no bilateral meeting was scheduled between them.
“Chiefs of Defence from around the globe deliberated on pressing security challenges and explored emerging trends and innovative solutions,” the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff posted on X.
General Chauhan held bilateral meetings on the sidelines with top military officials from the United States, Japan and Australia — India’s strategic partners under the Quad grouping. He met Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, and the two discussed Operation Sindoor and military cooperation.
The CDS also met General Yoshida Yoshihide, Chief of Staff of Japan’s Joint Staff, and Admiral David Johnston, Chief of Defence Force of Australia, during his visit to Singapore.
Though such multilateral engagements between Indian and Pakistani officials are not unprecedented, their occurrence in the immediate aftermath of border hostilities underscores the cautious coexistence at diplomatic and defence forums.
