Ajit Doval: India Has No Intent to Escalate, But Ready to Retaliate if Provoked

Following the Indian armed forces' targeted strikes on nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) under Operation Sindoor, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval reached out to his counterparts across the globe on Wednesday. He conveyed that India's actions were precise, restrained, and non-escalatory in nature. Doval stressed that while India has no intention to escalate tensions, it remains fully prepared to respond firmly if Pakistan chooses to do so.

NSA Doval spoke with a number of important foreign counterparts, such as Secretary General Ali Al Shamsi of the United Arab Emirates' National Security Council, Saudi Arabia's NSA Musaid Al Aiban, the United Kingdom's NSA Jonathan Powell, the United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the United Arab Emirates' Sheikh Tahnoon. He also had a conversation with Masataka Okano, the Japanese NSA. Additionally, Emmanuel Bonne, the French President's Diplomatic Advisor, Wang Yi, China's Foreign Affairs Minister and Politburo member, and Russian NSA Sergei Shoigu were contacted.

Doval described the deliberate and methodical nature of India's operation during these telephone briefings, emphasising that it was conducted with the intention of neutralising terror infrastructure in Pakistan without aiming to attack civilian or military installations. He reassured world leaders that the terror networks behind the Pahalgam attack were the exclusive targets of India's retaliation.

Two weeks after the horrifying terror assault in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 25 Indian civilians and one Nepali citizen, the talks were held soon after the precise airstrikes that were carried out in the early hours of the morning. There was a great deal of international and Indian condemnation of the incident.

The Indian Army described the strikes as part of its larger plan to eradicate terror threats and reiterated in a statement its determination to make those responsible accountable. The Army declared, "We are fulfilling our promise that those who carried out this attack will be held accountable."

India's top military leadership was reportedly keeping a close eye on the operation during its execution. In order to maintain openness and ongoing diplomatic engagement over India's activities and regional stability, NSA Doval added that he will continue to communicate closely with his international counterparts in the days ahead.