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Backchannel discussions between Pakistan and India have come to a halt since neither party has been able to come to terms with the steps that could lead to a modest but steady improvement in the relationship.

Talks have been ongoing, but they"ve come to a standstill, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

The difficulty is how to proceed from this point ahead, the source said, adding that there"s been a desire from both sides to end the deadlock.

The political unrest in Pakistan is what has delayed the process down. Following the shift in government in Pakistan in April, there was a glimmer of optimism for a potential thaw in the relationship. The fact that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first world leaders to congratulate Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif served as a catalyst for the optimism.

According to the sources, backchannel communications that started during the PTI administration accelerated in April following the transition of power. However, after "intensive" backchannel negotiations, neither party was ready to give ground on their respective grievances.

Pakistan is insistent that before any process of normalizing relations can start, India must take action with regard to Kashmir. However, New Delhi is more keen for Islamabad to investigate the possibility of restoring bilateral trade first.

India, meanwhile, reinforced its stance on Kashmir rather than making any concessions. Pakistan did not take kindly to some of the developments, such as attempts to organise G-20 summit-related events in Srinagar.

At the most recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conference in Tashkent, the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India were unable to speak with one another due to tension in their relationship.

Years of difficult relations between the two nations worsened in August 2019 when India unilaterally removed the special status of the contentious Jammu and Kashmir territory.

Since then, there has been no formal dialogue, a downgrading of diplomatic ties, and a suspension of bilateral trade. However, the two nations were conversing with one another long before the government headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz assumed power, albeit in silence.

These interactions resulted in the agreement to renew the ceasefire in February 2021, and the ceasefire is still in effect today with no significant violations of it. However, there was no breakthrough in the process that would have allowed the two nations to resume their talks.

The two sides have been pushing harder to find a solution since since the new Islamabadi government took office in April. Call these "backchannels," "Track II," or "behind-the-scenes talks," an official source said, "I can only affirm that important people in both nations are in communication with each other."

The source, however, claimed that he was unaware of all the specifics of those connections and added that the whole point of "backchannels" was to keep conversations secret until a concrete decision had been made.

The lack of political stability in Pakistan and the stringent conditions set by both parties for the beginning of any new round of negotiations make the chances of an immediate breakthrough remote.

In his first speech to the country, Premier Shehbaz urged India to undo its actions from August 5, 2019 so that all parties may hold negotiations to settle all remaining concerns, including Kashmir.

According to the sources, India is leaning toward re-engagement but hesitant to make a concession that would enable Pakistan to restart talks.

Our policy is unambiguous. With the request for anonymity, a senior government official stated, "We want to connect with everyone, including India. However, the government official doubted that the Kashmir issue would be resolved amenably by the conservative Modi administration.

According to the sources, Western nations like the US and the UK were also working to ease tensions and establish some official lines of contact between the two South Asian neighbours.