While Pakistan intensified its diplomatic offensive against India, a group of prominent Indians and Pakistanis appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to take “meaningful and sustained steps towards restoring peace, normalcy, dialogue and cooperation in South Asia.”
The appeal, a joint letter signed by 117 individuals (61 from India and 56 from Pakistan), calls for the restoration of diplomatic relations, structured dialogue, sustained confidence-building measures, and expanded people-to-people contact to reduce hostility and promote peace between the two nations.
The signatories urged both governments to take meaningful steps toward restoring normalcy, including the full reinstatement of diplomatic relations, reappointment of High Commissioners in New Delhi and Islamabad, and the resumption of regular visa services for citizens of both countries. They also called for reopening a comprehensive bilateral dialogue covering all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, and suggested revisiting the 2004–2007 dialogue framework.
The letter emphasised the need for de-escalation, demilitarisation, and sustained engagement while addressing the “legitimate security concerns” of both sides. It warned that continued hostility was depriving millions—particularly young people—of opportunities for development, prosperity, and a secure future. India and Pakistan together represent nearly one-fifth of humanity, and their populations deserve a future shaped by peace, connectivity, and cooperation rather than mistrust and confrontation, it said
The signatories urged reopening of the Attari–Wagah land border for trade and travel, restoring the Srinagar–Muzaffarabad bus service, and expanding air connectivity by reopening airspace for commercial flights to reduce travel time and costs. They also appealed for reviving the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor and facilitating access to Sharada Peeth in Pakistan’s Neelum Valley, along with broader access to religious and cultural heritage sites across the border.
Among the Indian signatories are National Conference chief Dr Farooq Abdullah, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, RJD MP Manoj Jha, Congress’s Mani Shankar Aiyar, and former RAW chief A.S. Dulat. On the Pakistan side, signatories include former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, diplomat Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, National Assembly member Isphanyar Bhandara, and nuclear physicist Pervez Hoodbhoy.
The initiative by the Centre for Peace and Progress comes against a backdrop of continuing tensions, including concerns over cross-border terrorism and recent incidents such as the Pahalgam attack. The already strained relationship further deteriorated following India’s decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance.