A year after Operation Sindoor , while there has been no official contact with Pakistan, former Army generals and retired diplomats from both India and Pakistan have met at least twice in the last three months, including once in Qatar and another Asian capital, The Indian Express has learnt. While these are not formal “back-channels of communication,” this is the first such engagement since Operation Sindoor amid a growing consensus in official circles in favour of opening such a track with Islamabad and Rawalpindi. It’s learnt that the need for this has been “escalated” to National Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s office and the National Security Council Secretariat has been made aware of the “willingness” from Pakistan as well. A political call is yet to be taken in favour of a back-channel but one of the key reasons behind this rethink has been the imperative to “manage” escalation in case of another attack.…