Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s special envoy, Satinder K Lambah, briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on back-channel talks with Pakistan. Lambah’s posthumously published book reveals a plan to continue the back-channel process and the consideration of appointing a “distinguished diplomat” as special envoy by Modi.
Lambah passed away in June 2022. In April 2017, Lambah was asked to go to Pakistan to meet the then Prime Minister, but the plan was abandoned when businessman Sajjan Jindal made a solo trip to Pakistan without Lambah’s knowledge. Lambah also mentioned meeting jurist Fali S Nariman, along with a PMO official, to review legal points in the draft back-channel agreement.
These events occurred after a downturn in India-Pakistan relations, including the sentencing of a former Navy officer to death for espionage by a Pakistani military court. Lambah’s book, “In Pursuit of Peace: India-Pakistan relations under six Prime Ministers,” contains these revelations.
The book, with a foreword by the Prime Minister who authorized the back-channel talks and a blurb from NSA Ajit Doval, offers new insights into key events shaping Indo-Pak relations. Lambah, who served as India’s envoy to Pakistan, Russia, and Germany, also worked as PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s special envoy on Afghanistan and Chairman of NSAB.
The book does not cover the period of Prime Minister Modi but recounts an interaction with him in May 2016. Modi expressed interest in India-Pakistan relations and the back-channel talks, indicating a possible continuation of the process and the consideration of a special envoy. However, plans changed, and Lambah’s involvement ended.
The book documents Lambah’s backchannel efforts from 2005 to 2014, including numerous meetings with Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. Discussions on the draft agreement with clear instructions from Singh and other officials were instrumental in the negotiation process. A crucial meeting in 2006 involved key figures like Congress President Sonia Gandhi and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
