NEW DELHI: Just days before embarking on a four-day study tour of Jammu, Srinagar, Kargil, and Leh, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs received an extensive briefing from senior government officials that underscored New Delhi's position on Pakistan while also triggering a broader debate on Jammu and Kashmir's place in India's regional strategy.
The briefing, chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and attended by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and other senior officials, was held on June 19 as part of preparations for the committee's June 22-25 visit to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
During the tour, members are scheduled to hold discussions with representatives of the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Defence, the administrations of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, the Regional Passport Offices, police authorities, and other agencies on issues ranging from India-Pakistan relations and the Indo-China border to passport services, cultural diplomacy, and regional cooperation.
Members are scheduled to visit Northern Command headquarters in Udhampur, hold discussions on India-China border issues, review passport and e-passport services in Srinagar, examine India's engagement with the diaspora, travel to Kargil via the Kargil War Memorial for discussions on India-Pakistan relations, and later visit Ladakh to deliberate on cultural diplomacy and soft power.
Against this backdrop, the June 19 briefing offered a rare glimpse into how the government currently views Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir, cross-border terrorism, water diplomacy, and regional security.
No Engagement Without End to Terrorism
At the centre of the government's presentation was a categorical assertion that people-to-people contact, political engagement, and broader normalization with Pakistan cannot proceed until Islamabad ends support for cross-border terrorism.
Officials told the committee that India continues to seek "normal neighbourly relations" with Pakistan but only in an atmosphere free from terrorism, violence, and hostility. The government maintained that the responsibility for creating such conditions rests entirely with Pakistan.
Responding to questions triggered by recent statements from RSS leaders favouring greater engagement with Pakistan, officials reportedly made it clear that there are currently no Track 1.5 dialogue and little scope for expanded people-to-people interaction under prevailing circumstances. They, however, acknowledged that various Track-II dialogues were ongoing and government monitors them.
The briefing reinforced what has become New Delhi's principal diplomatic doctrine: "Terror and talks cannot go together; terror and trade cannot go together; water and blood cannot flow together."
Operation Sindoor Defines Policy Shift
Officials repeatedly cited the April 2025 Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 civilians, as a turning point in India's Pakistan policy.
The Ministry's background note described the attack as a "barbaric terrorist attack" carried out by The Resistance Front, which India identifies as a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba. Officials argued that the incident fundamentally altered the framework for future engagement with Pakistan.
The government presented ‘Operation Sindoor’ as having established a "new normal" in India's counter-terrorism policy. According to the briefing, three principles now guide India's response.
First, India reserves the right to respond to terror attacks on its own terms and at locations from where terrorism originates.
Second, India will not be deterred by nuclear threats.
Third, India will not distinguish between terrorist organisations and governments that sponsor them.
These formulations drew significant attention from committee members because they potentially expand the scope of future Indian responses to cross-border attacks.
Panel Seeks Wider Answers on Kashmir
While the official briefing focused overwhelmingly on terrorism and security, committee members submitted an unusually wide-ranging set of questions that went far beyond traditional security concerns.
Parliamentarians sought answers on India's constitutional responsibilities toward residents of Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, the future of Cross-Line of Control trade and travel, climate change, glacier preservation, energy security, Central Asian connectivity, and Kashmir's historical role as India's gateway to Eurasia.
Members asked whether India had a constitutional obligation towards people living in territories that New Delhi officially considers part of India.
The committee also sought information about recent protests in Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir over electricity prices, economic hardship, and governance issues. Members asked whether India was adequately highlighting these developments internationally and whether such unrest presented an opportunity to strengthen India's diplomatic position on Kashmir.
Officials replied that they were monitoring the situation and had raised it at various world forums.
One of the more politically sensitive issues raised by members concerned the suspension of Cross-LoC trade and travel.
The committee asked why links between divided families and communities were suspended without establishing alternative humanitarian mechanisms. Members questioned whether enhanced regulation and screening could have been considered instead of complete closure.
Notably, the MEA indicated that many of these questions fell outside its jurisdiction and would require responses from other ministries and the administrations of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
Kashmir's Central Asia Dimension
Perhaps the most significant departure from conventional discussions on India-Pakistan relations came in the committee's focus on Kashmir's historical links with Central Asia.
Members asked why Jammu and Kashmir rarely features prominently in India's Central Asia policy despite its geographic proximity and centuries-old commercial and cultural connections with the region.
Special attention was devoted to the legacy of the 14th-century Sufi saint Mir Syed Ali Hamadani, whose shrine is located in Kulob, Tajikistan. Members asked whether India had considered creating organized pilgrimage routes, cultural exchanges, and heritage tourism initiatives around this historic civilisational connection.
Indus Treaty and Water Security
The committee also delved into the implications of India's decision to keep the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance.
Officials reiterated that the treaty would remain suspended until Pakistan "credibly and irrevocably" abandons support for cross-border terrorism. The government maintained that it remained prepared to counter Pakistan's criticism of the move.
Members, however, sought answers extending beyond diplomacy. Questions focused on future utilisation of western rivers for irrigation and hydropower generation, the impact of glacier retreat in Kashmir, long-term water security, and whether India had undertaken comprehensive assessments of climate change in the Indus basin.
China and Ladakh Feature Prominently
Officials told members that India and China have held 35 rounds of talks since June 2020 through the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination and Senior Commanders' meetings aimed at resolving tensions in eastern Ladakh.
Officials informed members that China continues to occupy approximately 38,000 square kilometres of territory in Aksai Chin and continues to claim around 90,000 square kilometres in Arunachal Pradesh.
The government also reiterated its opposition to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor passing through territories claimed by India.
The latest breakthrough came through the October 21, 2024, agreement on Depsang and Demchok, under which both sides agreed to resume patrolling and grazing according to pre-2020 practices. The government maintained that all disengagement arrangements remain in force and are without prejudice to India's claims along the LAC.
Passport Services
Officials reveal that more than 4.7 lakh passport applications were processed by the regional passport offices in Jammu and Srinagar between 2023 and May 2026.
During this period, more than 4.52 lakh passports were issued. Srinagar alone processed 1,07,103 applications in 2023, 95,495 in 2024, and 99,763 in 2025, while Jammu handled 77,064 applications in 2023, 61,587 in 2024, and 60,882 in 2025. Officials said the figures demonstrate a sustained demand for international mobility among residents of the Union Territory.
Officials informed the committee that appointments are generally available within one working day, although police verification remains a major bottleneck.
The average police verification period in Jammu and Kashmir ranges from 43 to 115 days because applications undergo scrutiny not only by local police but also by the Criminal Investigation Department and other security agencies.
Officials acknowledged that delays in verification constitute the largest source of public grievances.
Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) are located in Jammu and Srinagar, and six Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) in Rajouri, Udhampur, Kathua, Anantnag, Baramulla, and Leh are also operating. A second POPSK at Kargil is scheduled to become operational in July 2026, while mobile passport vans are being deployed regularly to remote and mountainous areas.
Officials said passport services are now available in all parliamentary constituencies of Jammu and Kashmir, helping reduce travel burdens on applicants.
The briefing highlighted several reforms aimed at improving service delivery. Daily appointments at Jammu PSK were increased from 250 to 350 in February 2024, while Rajouri POPSK doubled its daily capacity from 50 to 100 appointments in May 2026 due to growing demand from Rajouri and Poonch districts.
Officials noted that appointments are generally available within one working day, significantly better than in many parts of the country. Between February 2023 and May 2026, authorities conducted 65 special passport drives, processing 13,096 applications, while 372 passport camps and mobile van deployments handled another 29,124 applications.
Despite these improvements, officials acknowledged that police verification remains the principal bottleneck. The average police verification period in Jammu and Kashmir ranges from 43 to 115 days, substantially longer than elsewhere in India.
The delay is attributed to the Union Territory's security environment, its proximity to the International Border and the Line of Control, and the requirement that applications undergo scrutiny not only by local police but also by the Criminal Investigation Department and intelligence agencies.
Officials admitted that some cases remain pending for more than a year. The committee was also informed that the Passport Seva Police Verification App, designed to speed up digital verification, has yet to be implemented by the Jammu and Kashmir Police. As a result, delays in police verification continue to account for the overwhelming majority of public grievances related to passport issuance in the region.
Have you liked the news article?