Farooq, Mufti, Manoj Jha Among 116 Signatories

Batting for India-Pakistan Talks

Report By Y-Trendz

New Delhi/Islamabad, July 1, 2026 — In a significant civil society intervention that cuts across the political and ideological divide of two nuclear-armed neighbours, more than a hundred prominent citizens from India and Pakistan have jointly appealed to their respective governments to abandon hostility in favour of sustained dialogue. The appeal, addressed directly to Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif, carries the signatures of several influential Indian political figures, including National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, and RJD Rajya Sabha MP Professor Manoj Jha.

The joint statement, coordinated by O.P. Shah, who heads the New Delhi-based think tank Centre for Peace and Progress, was released on Tuesday and has quickly become one of the most talked-about cross-border civil society efforts in recent years. In total, 116 signatories from both countries put their names to the appeal, arguing that unrelenting hostility between India and Pakistan is denying millions of young people opportunities, prosperity and a secure future, given that the two nations together are home to nearly a fifth of humanity.

Who Signed the Appeal

On the Indian side, apart from Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and Manoj Jha, the list of signatories includes Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, former RAW chief A.S. Dulat, Jawhar Sircar, Professor Saifuddin Soz and academic Apoorvanand, among others. These names reflect a mix of Kashmir-centric political leadership, seasoned diplomats, and academics who have long argued for engagement over estrangement with Pakistan.

From Pakistan, the appeal was backed by former foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, former high commissioner to New Delhi Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, physicist and academic Pervez Hoodbhoy, former senator Farhatullah Babar, along with civil society figures such as Beena Sarwar, Salima Hashmi, Mohammad Mehdi and educationist A.H. Nayyar.

What the Appeal Demands

The signatories have called on both governments to pursue confidence-building measures across diplomatic, economic, cultural and people-to-people tracks. Their key demands include restoring full diplomatic relations between the two countries, reinstating high commissioners in New Delhi and Islamabad, and resuming visa services that have remained suspended amid years of strained ties.

The appeal also pushes for the reopening of bilateral talks on all outstanding issues, notably including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, along with steps toward demilitarisation and de-escalation along the border. Notably, the group has suggested that the framework for dialogue that both countries had agreed upon between 2004 and 2007 — a period often cited as the high-water mark of India-Pakistan back-channel diplomacy — could serve as a workable starting point for renewed talks.

On trade and connectivity, the signatories want the Wagah-Attari land border reopened, along with the resumption of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad and Lahore-Delhi bus services. They have also sought the restarting of the Samjhauta Express and Thar Express train services, and want people from both countries to be allowed to travel along the Kargil-Skardu route. The appeal further calls for reopening the airspace of both nations to commercial airlines, restoring the Most Favoured Nation trade status, and promoting broader regional economic integration.

Recognising the role that religious and cultural tourism can play in building bridges, the group has proposed reopening the Kartarpur Sahib corridor further and enabling access to the Sharada Peeth shrine in the Neelum Valley as early confidence-building steps. The appeal additionally calls for lifting restrictions on media outlets and digital platforms operating across the border, allowing journalists from both countries to travel and work freely, and encouraging delegation exchanges to counter disinformation that often fuels bilateral tensions.

Context of the Appeal

This latest push for dialogue comes on the heels of other recent voices from within India's political and strategic establishment favouring engagement with Islamabad, including RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale and retired Army chief General Manoj Naravane, both of whom had earlier voiced support for resuming talks. Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti had already welcomed those remarks, noting that support for dialogue emerging from figures close to India's establishment could open space for a shift in New Delhi's approach toward Pakistan.

The fresh 116-signatory appeal is being seen as an attempt to consolidate that emerging momentum into a formal, structured set of demands directed squarely at the two prime ministers, rather than leaving the sentiment scattered across individual statements. Whether the appeal translates into any concrete policy shift from either government remains to be seen, given the complex security and political considerations that have historically shaped India-Pakistan relations. For now, though, the joint appeal stands as a rare, coordinated cross-border call from civil society for engagement over confrontation.