New Delhi:
Discussions on the implications of the Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict in the Middle East are the two key agendas of top intelligence officials, who are scheduled to meet for a security conclave in the national capital this weekend.
The conclave, chaired by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, will be attended by officials of 20 nations, including US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) Director Daniel Rogers and Britain’s MI6 boss Richard Moore.
Interestingly, Mr Rogers’s visit to New Delhi will be at a time India and Canada are engaged in a diplomatic row over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Vancouver in 2023. Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had alleged the role of Indian “agents” in the murder.
“The security and intelligence chiefs are likely to discuss ways to deal with terror financing as well as crimes in the digital space,” a senior official said, seeking anonymity.
Deliberations on ways to enhance intelligence-sharing to combat terrorism and various transnational crimes are also on the agenda, the official added.
The security and intelligence chiefs are also expected to bring together heads and deputy heads of their respective nations’ intelligence and security organisations.
On the sidelines of the conclave, NSA Doval is expected to hold one-on-one meetings with his counterparts from several leading countries.
As per information available, intelligence chiefs of Australia, Germany and New Zealand are among those who will join the deliberations.
Sources said Ms Gabbard will arrive in India on Saturday, as part of a multi-nation tour to the Indo-Pacific. She is also expected to visit Japan, Thailand and France. It will be the first high-level visit to India by a top official of the Donald Trump administration.
I am #WheelsUp on a multi-nation trip to the Indo-Pacific, a region I know very well having grown up as a child of the Pacific. I’ll be going to Japan, Thailand, and India, with a brief stop in France enroute back to DC. Building strong relationships, understanding, and open… pic.twitter.com/7PiM1a5RGu
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) March 10, 2025
Besides attending the intelligence chiefs’ conclave, Ms Gabbard is likely to address the Raisina Dialogue and hold a one-on-one meeting with NSA Doval.
During her meetings with Indian interlocutors, Ms Gabbard is likely to raise the need for India and the US to expand cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, with an overall focus on dealing with China’s increasing muscle-flexing in the region.
It will be interesting to see whether the two sides would discuss the case relating to an alleged foiled plot to assassinate Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil.
In November 2023, US federal prosecutors charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta with working with an Indian government employee in the foiled plot to kill Mr Pannun in New York. A probe ordered by the Indian government later recommended legal action against an individual.
Last month, Ms Gabbard met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Washington DC.
Officials said India would likely use the conclave as an opportunity to clear its tabs both on Mr Pannun and Nijjar.
Relations between India and Canada came under severe strain following Mr Trudeau’s allegations in September 2023 of the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar on Canadian soil.
Although New Delhi rejected Mr Trudeau’s charges as “absurd”, bilateral ties nosedived further in the second half of last year when Ottawa linked several Indian diplomats, including High Commissioner Sanjay Verma, to Nijjar’s murder.
Following a stand off between the two countries in October last, Canada expelled Mr Verma and five other diplomats. In retaliation, New Delhi expelled Canadian Charge d’Affaires Stewart Wheeler and five other diplomats.
