India-China Talks: NSA Doval & FM Wang Yi Discuss Counter-Terrorism

India-China Diplomatic Exchange

• 📞 India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone call to discuss critical issues.
• condemning the Pahelgam terror attack, Wang Yi stated China's opposition to all forms of terrorism.
• 🤝 China reportedly appreciated Doval's statement that war is not India's choice, but rather something it was forced into after the attack.

India's Stance on Terrorism

• ⚠️ Doval emphasized India's need to take counter-terrorism actions following the Pahelgam incident.
• 💬 The speaker noted that terrorism has been a major pain point between India and Pakistan, with Pakistan often not recognizing it as such.

Evolution of India's Counter-Terrorism Policy

• ⚖️ India's policy has historically been mature, sober, and restrained, generally avoiding covert operations in other countries.
• 🎯 However, India's tactical approach changed after Pahelgam, with an attack on a seminary where Masood Azhar was believed to be, reportedly killing five family members.
• 🚫 Despite this shift, the speaker believes India generally does not endorse covert operations in other nations to target individuals.

Future India-Pakistan Dialogues

• 🤝 India and Pakistan have agreed to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site, as per the US Department of State readout.
• 🔍 These discussions are expected to include terror-related issues, with Indian negotiators likely to bring up the handover of terror suspects like Hafiz and Masood Azhar.
• ❌ The speaker clarified that these talks would not involve mediation on Kashmir, as it is not India's policy to accept such intervention.