India-Pakistan Friends Again? Ayaz Sadiq and Jaishankar Handshake Photo Goes Viral!

Pakistani National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq shook hands with India’s External Affairs Minister Jaishankar in Dhaka during Begum Khaleda Zia’s funeral. The brief exchange is the first high-level India-Pakistan contact since May 2025 tensions. Analysts call it symbolic, while routine bilateral agreements continued without any policy shift.

On December 31, 2025, Ayaz Sadiq and Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar exchanged a handshake in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This took place during the state funeral of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia.

Khaleda Zia Passed Away

Sources say the handshake was initiated by Jaishankar. He reportedly approached Sadiq, introduced himself, and said no formal introduction was needed. Sadiq noted that Jaishankar was aware of cameras and deliberate in his gestures.

Indian officials called it a routine courtesy exchange at a multilateral event. They stressed that no discussion or bilateral message took place.

The photos of the handshakes spread across social media. Pakistan media emphasized that it was a good indicator of India-Pakistan dialogue. Indian sources made the incident less than it was in order not to indicate that the relations were getting better.

This meeting was accompanied by the regular interactions between the two nations. India and Pakistan provided each other with lists of nuclear installations and prisoners on January 1, 2026, which is a conventional confidence-building measure.

The interaction was the first interaction between India and Pakistan on a high level since May 2025 military tension. Analysts believe Ayaz Sadiq and Jay Shankar moment will not alter the official policy but is an indicator of readiness to participate in controlled interaction during diplomatic events.