With the focus of the world community and various international organisations, including the United Nations (UN), being solely on the Russian-Ukraine war, India is keeping a close eye on both China and Pakistan. India’s strategy at the present juncture is two-fold. One, Delhi is keeping its guard up in view of the “possibility” of any misadventure by Beijing and Islamabad. Two, it has intensified the mission to evacuate Indian nationals from the war-hit Ukraine.
“India has received inputs from the various diplomatic networks that suggest that both China and Pakistan may resort to anti-India activities including misadventure on its borders,” highly-placed sources told The Daily Guardian. “The high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday and Monday, which was attended by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, discussed these inputs,” sources said.
“Top officials of security and defence agencies interacted with diplomats to make an assessment of inputs suggesting that China and Pakistan may try to foment trouble for India amid a situation where the focus of the world is on the Ukraine war,” sources told this newspaper. “In view of this, agencies have been asked to be highly alert to threats from both Beijing and Islamabad,” sources said. “Apart from keeping the focus on evacuation mission, Indian diplomatic teams have been asked to be watchful of activities of China and Pakistan as well,” officials said, adding, “Diplomats have been asked to keep highlighting the regional challenges being posed by Pakistan and China at the global forums including UN as an when necessary.” “Western powers have been told repeatedly by Jaishankar that the threat of China which seeks hegemony over Asia and other continents as well must not be lost sight of even if the Ukraine crisis is there,” says a diplomat.
Recently at a Ministerial Forum in Paris, Jaishankar had reminded Europe and other countries of the Indo-Pacific region that China is a bigger threat facing the world today. Jaishankar had sought to highlight concern that the focus of the West is being shifted away from the Indo-Pacific and other regional challenges due to the Ukraine situation which is not good. “Jaishankar is keen that India’s strategic partners including its Quad partners are persuaded to keep their attention also on China and the Indo-Pacific,” diplomats told The Daily Guardian, adding that, “with this in view, Indian foreign service officials will be in close touch with their counterparts in Japan, Australia, US, UK and all the ASEAN nations.”