File picture of U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
The U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Canadian spy chief Daniel Rogers and Britain’s MI6 boss Richard Moore will be among top global intelligence czars converging in India this weekend to attend a security conclave, sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will chair the India-hosted conclave on March 16, which is expected to deliberate on ways to enhance intelligence sharing to combat terrorism and various transnational crimes.
Intelligence chiefs of Australia, Germany, New Zealand and several other friendly countries of India are also expected to join the deliberations to be held in New Delhi.
Ms. Gabbard is visiting India as part of a multi-nation tour of Japan, Thailand and France.
It will be the first high-level visit to India by a top official of the Donald Trump administration.
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. It is learnt that the U.S. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) will arrive in India on March 15 after concluding her trip to Thailand. Last month, Ms. Gabbard met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Washington DC.
The conclave of the security and intelligence chiefs is expected to bring together heads and deputy heads of the intelligence and security organisations of around 20 nations. In their deliberations, the intelligence chiefs are also expected to focus on various global challenges including the implications of the Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict in West Asia. The security and intelligence chiefs are also likely to discuss ways to deal with terror financing as well as crimes in the digital space, the people cited above said.
India-Canada ties
The visit to India by Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) chief Rogers is taking 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 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 Mr. 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 Mr. 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 be figured during Mr. Doval’s conversation with Mr. Rogers.
On the sidelines of the conclave, NSA Doval is expected to hold one-on-one meetings with his counterparts from several leading countries.
In meetings with her Indian interlocutors, Ms. Gabbard is also expected to bring up the need for expanding cooperation between the two countries in the Indo-Pacific.
In a post on X, Ms. Gabbard said on Monday that she was travelling to France, Japan, Thailand and India.
It will be her second foreign trip after assuming charge as the DNI. During her first international trip, Ms. Gabbard travelled to Germany to attend the Munich Security Conference last month. “Terrorism remains a persistent threat, requiring a coordinated global response,” she said at the conference. “We must disrupt and destroy terrorist organisations by targeting their ideology, leadership, command structures, and financial networks,” she said. “This effort necessitates close cooperation to share intelligence, coordinate law enforcement activities, and prevent the flow of funds to terrorist groups,” she asserted.
In the address, Ms. Gabbard also referred to challenges presented by Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. “To deter aggression and maintain stability, we look forward to working closely with those who share those interests,” she said.
Published – March 11, 2025 09:38 pm IST
