The reelection of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers no olive branch to Pakistan despite Prime Minister Imran Khan’s consistent effort to reach out to his India counterpart for a new beginning. In fact, Modi does not want to shake hand with Imran Khan in the public. That is in pursuance of his hawkish policies, which paid him well during the recent elections where he branded himself as a tough man who could deal with Pakistan in the best interest of India. The Indians liked his overtures and voted him into power with an overwhelming majority despite his dismal economic performance in the last five years of his power. Now, when elections are over, Modi is again taking the road, which he has often been taking – no to Pakistan. Islamabad should not expect any positive response from New Delhi to Imran Khan’s letter to Modi to discuss and resolve issues like Kashmir and terrorism. In the letter, PM Imran emphasised to shun differences and resolve issues through dialogues. This is his second letter to the Indian premier besides his telephone call to him after the elections. Modi first ignored Imran Khan on his swearing-in ceremony, where he invited all heads of neighbouring states except for Imran Khan. Now, when he is taking up his maiden itinerary to Sri Lanka and the Maldives while his External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar concluded Bhutan tour under their “Neighbourhood First” diplomacy, India has ruled out a meeting between Imran and Modi on the sidelines of the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Kyrgyzstan on June 13-14. The consistent refusal by New Delhi to dialogue will put both countries to a blind alley. Pakistan’s soft measures like the swift release of Indian pilot captured on the Pakistani soul and before that the launch of the Kartarpur corridor have never been reciprocated by its eastern neighbor. Indian policy to ignore Pakistan and isolate it in the region may force Pakistan to opt for a tough posture which may escalate tensions between the two countries. Either side cannot afford a war or even the prospect of war given the presence of nuclear warheads in both countries. Before it shun its pursuit for peace with India, the foreign office should give a try to backdoor channel diplomacy. This method has been working well for a long time, yielding satisfaction. On a few occasion, the informal diplomacy has even helped both countries to give up their positions when both countries were teetering on the brink of war. *