India does not take cognisance of unofficial Track 2 dialogues involving retired diplomats, military officers and civil society members, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Monday, stressing that such discussions do not reflect the government's position.
Misri's remarks came in response to reports that retired Indian and Pakistani diplomats, military officials and politicians participated in Track 2 discussions on the sidelines of a regional security conference in Colombo last week.
"Dozens of these kinds of events take place in dozens of places around the world on a whole variety of subjects. There's nothing new, nothing special about these events," Misri told reporters during a media interaction in Victoria, Seychelles.
"As far as we are concerned, these are private events organised by private parties. There is nothing official about them," he said.
The Foreign Secretary emphasised that the Government of India neither participates in nor supports such initiatives.
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"Obviously, I cannot speak for the government of Pakistan, but as far as the government of India is concerned, there is no official participation, no official support or involvement in these visits," he said.
Misri added that any retired diplomats, retired military officials or members of civil society attending such meetings do so in their personal capacity.
"They speak for themselves and they represent their own point of view," he said.
Reiterating New Delhi's position, Misri said such interactions do not represent the views of the Indian government.
"They cannot in any way represent the view of the government of India," he said.
"We really take no cognisance of these events. They really don't hold much value, as far as we are concerned," he added.
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