New Delhi:India must strongly respond to Pakistan’s support for cross-border terror attacks while also keeping the doors for dialogue open, RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale told news agency PTI in an exclusive interview.
Hosabale recalled how during the tenure of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, efforts were made to maintain dialogue with Pakistan, including Vajpayee’s historic bus journey to Lahore.
VIDEO | When asked how India should deal with Pakistan, RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, in an exclusive interview with PTI, says, "…If Pakistan is like a pinprick trying to create incidents like Pulwama, etc., we have to answer appropriately according to the… pic.twitter.com/AxpH1oBWuw
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 12, 2026
“Everything has been tried and more such efforts should continue. Atal ji tried to engage them in dialogue. He went to Lahore by bus and many things happened. Our present Prime Minister also invited Pakistan at the time of his swearing-in ceremony and even attended the wedding ceremony of a Pakistani leader. So all these things have been tried,” Hosabale said.
The RSS leader stated that if Pakistan continued to provoke India through incidents like Pulwama, India must respond appropriately according to the situation.
“If Pakistan is like a pinprick trying to create incidents like Pulwama, we have to answer appropriately according to the situation because the security and self-respect of a country and nation have to be protected, and the government of the day should take note of it and take care of it,” he said.
At the same time, Hosabale stressed that dialogue channels should not be completely shut down.
“But at the same time, we should not close the doors. We should always be ready to engage in dialogue. That is why diplomatic relations are maintained, trade and commerce continue, and visas are being given. These should not be stopped because there should always be a window for dialogue,” he added.
Responding to a question on whether sporting ties between India and Pakistan should continue, Hosabale said, “Of course, they can continue.”He further said that civil society relations remained the biggest hope for peace between the two countries.
“This is the one hope, I think, because I strongly believe that ultimately civil society relations will work. We have cultural relations and we have been one nation,” he said.
Currently, India’s policy is to target terrorism wherever it exists, including inside Pakistan, as demonstrated by Operation Sindoor. The Indian Air Force led the operation after terrorists allegedly trained and backed by Pakistan killed 26 tourists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam last year.
During the operation, terror infrastructure and military targets were reportedly reduced to rubble, with airframes destroyed, hangars damaged, and advanced air defence radar systems flattened by India’s cruise missiles, drones, and precision-guided bombs.
Operation Sindoor, described as India’s most extensive multi-domain military operation in half a century against Pakistan-backed cross-border terrorism, has redefined India’s broader security and strategic doctrine.
Hosabale said, “I think this is the only hope because I firmly believe that ultimately civil society relations will work. We share cultural ties and we have been one country, therefore this aspect needs to be emphasised.”
The RSS General Secretary was asked how India should deal with Pakistan and its continued patronage of terrorism against India.
Referring to terror attacks such as Mumbai, Pulwama and Pahalgam, he said, “Look, everything has been tried diplomatically and Pakistan continues its efforts.”
He said trade and the issuance of visas should not be stopped because “there should always be a window open for dialogue.”
Hosabale further said that this was the reason diplomatic relations had been maintained. He added that academics, sportspersons, scientists and community leaders in Pakistan should come forward because the country’s political and military leadership had promoted hatred against India.
