India-Pakistan: The pros and cons of backchannel diplomacy By The Indian and Pakistan flags fly during a ceremony at the Wagah Border. Photo: AFP The door of peace between Pakistan and India leads through backchannel negotiations and both countries have successfully used it to bring about substantial confidence-building measures. For any backchannel negotiation to have sustainable long-term impact, however, it has to be used sparingly and with the mission of initiating a bilateral dialogue or it can threaten the entire fabric of the peace process. According to media reports, Pakistan and India have been conducting these backchannel talks on and off since 2017, whereby New Delhi initiated a request to start a backchannel and Pakistan responded positively.