National Security Adviser Ajit Doval may skip the upcoming BRICS NSA meeting in Brazil on April 30 as tensions between India and Pakistan escalate following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 26 people, mostly tourists.
If Doval is unable to attend the meeting due to his involvement in India’s internal security matters, Deputy NSA Pawan Kapoor is expected to represent him at the forum, according to sources cited by The Economic Times. The BRICS NSA meeting is likely to focus on addressing cross-border terrorism and other global security concerns in light of the recent attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
Key topics on the agenda of the BRICS NSA discussions are expected to include combating cross-border terror, terrorism financing, and terror infrastructure.
The deadly attack in Pahalgam on April 22, carried out by terrorists, resulted in the loss of at least 26 lives, marking the deadliest incident in the region since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
In addition to Doval potentially skipping the NSA meeting, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is also likely to miss the BRICS Foreign Minister meeting on April 28-29 in Brazil due to the ongoing tensions with Pakistan, as per the report.
While India has not made a final decision on Jaishankar’s attendance, it is possible that the country’s BRICS Sherpa could represent India at the meeting under unfavorable circumstances.
The BRICS summit, scheduled for July 6-7 in Rio de Janeiro, is anticipated to focus on artificial intelligence, climate finance, and cross-border payments initiatives. Foreign ministers and national security advisors from the 11 BRICS member countries will convene to finalize the agenda for the summit, which is expected to include a document on artificial intelligence aligned with a multilateral approach and a document on climate finance.
