Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, exchanges greetings with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in Dhaka ahead of the funeral programme of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.
The interaction took place at the residence of former Bangladeshi prime minister Khaleda Zia, where visiting dignitaries gathered to pay final respects collectively.
According to media reports, the two leaders exchanged greetings, shook hands, and spoke briefly, drawing attention as this was the first official interaction between politicians of India and Pakistan after the deadly war conflict on May 9 between two neighbouring countries.
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The meeting occurred as world leaders traveled to Dhaka to attend funeral ceremonies for Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s first female prime minister, who died at eighty on Tuesday.
Authorities in Bangladesh observed state mourning, lowering flags to half-mast, while heavy security lined streets as the former leader’s body was transported through the capital.
Diplomatic observers noted the encounter was the first such contact since May 2025, when Pakistan and India fought a brief yet intense four-day military conflict.
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That confrontation followed the Pahalgam incident in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, after which cross-border clashes escalated between the two nuclear-armed neighbours rapidly thereafter.
India blamed Pakistan for an attack on Hindu tourists without presenting evidence, while Islamabad rejected the allegations and described New Delhi’s claims as fabricated and misleading.
Both countries employed jets, missiles, artillery, and drones during hostilities, causing dozens of deaths, before a United States-brokered ceasefire brought a temporary halt eventually afterwards.
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Tensions later spilled into sports, as relations soured visibly during the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025, where handshake controversies repeatedly overshadowed cricketing competition throughout matches.
Despite meeting three times including the final, Indian players reportedly avoided customary gestures, even declining to accept the trophy directly from PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
The U-19 Asia Cup 2025 also got affected as the young players also follow the foot step of the senior players and avoided handshake during the event.
