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Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Chief Mohan Bhagwat on Saturday said that India should keep channels of dialogue open with Pakistan while firmly maintaining national security, adding that the organisation “does not have an independent foreign policy” and aligns with the Centre’s position.

 

Bhagwat made the remarks while defending RSS functionary Dattatreya Hosabale’s recent comments advocating continued engagement with Pakistan through dialogue, stressing that his statement was being misinterpreted.

 

Clarifying Hosabale’s position, Bhagwat said the reference was to people in Pakistan who, according to him, believe that the Partition of India was a mistake and support better relations between the two countries. He added that several journalists in Pakistan have also acknowledged and appreciated the work of the RSS.

 

“There are a lot of people in Pakistan who believe the partition of Bharat was wrong and many journalists there praise the RSS and its work. There is a distinct undercurrent there of people being anti-Pakistan and against the two-nation theory and they say living together was better,” Bhagwat said.

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e further said that India’s approach in the future must account for multiple possibilities, including scenarios where Pakistan is weakened or destabilised, in which case humanitarian and security considerations would require engagement with its people.

 

“For both these scenarios, the doors of dialogue need to be kept open,” he said, adding that India must defeat injustice and tyranny while preserving what is good.

 

“We are not like Hitler. That is not our nature or our way. So we need to keep some doors open,” Bhagwat said, emphasising that dialogue should not be completely shut even in adversarial circumstances.

 

At the same time, the RSS chief reiterated that the organisation does not formulate its own foreign policy and fully supports the stance of the Government of India on Pakistan-related issues.

 

Bhagwat’s remarks come amid ongoing debate over engagement versus isolation in India’s approach towards Pakistan, particularly in the context of terrorism concerns and cross-border tensions.