NSA Doval, Tulsi Gabbard hold bilateral talks; join global intelligence chiefs' meet

New Delhi: National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Sunday held bilateral talks with US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and chaired a conclave of top global intelligence czars focusing on ways to boost cooperation in dealing with various security challenges.

In their one-on-one meeting, Doval and Gabbard mainly discussed ways to strengthen intelligence sharing and working closely in sync with the India-US global strategic partnership, it is learnt.

Gabbard arrived in the national capital early Sunday on a two-and-a-half-day trip in the first high-level visit to India by a top official of the Donald Trump administration.

It was "good discussion", top sources told PTI on the Doval-Gabbard meeting.

The US director of national intelligence and Canadian spy chief Daniel Rogers were among top global intelligence czars who attended the India-hosted security conclave that was chaired by Doval.

The deliberations were held behind closed doors and there was no official word on them.

However, it is understood that ways to enhance intelligence-sharing to combat terrorism and various transnational crimes figured at the conclave.

Intelligence chiefs of Australia, Germany, New Zealand and several other friendly countries of India were learnt to have attended the conclave.

Gabbard is visiting India as part of a multi-nation tour of Japan, Thailand and France.

The US intelligence chief will also address the Raisina Dialogue on Tuesday.

Last month, Gabbard met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Washington DC.

In their discussions, the intelligence chiefs were understood to have deliberated on various global challenges including implications of the Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict in the Middle East.

The visit to India by Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) chief Rogers has taken place amid frosty ties between the two countries over the Hardeep Singh Nijjar case.

The ties between India and Canada came under severe strain following the then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in September 2023 of the "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar on Canadian soil.

New Delhi rejected Trudeau's charges as "absurd". The relations nosedived further in the second half of last year after Ottawa linked several Indian diplomats including High Commissioner Sanjay Verma to the murder of Nijjar.

In October last, Canada expelled Verma and five other diplomats. In retaliation, New Delhi also expelled Canadian Charge d'Affaires Stewart Wheeler and five other diplomats. It is expected that the case may figure during Doval's conversation with Rogers.

It is Gabbard's second foreign trip after assuming charge as the US intelligence chief. During her first international trip, Gabbard travelled to Germany to attend the Munich Security Conference last month.