NSA Ajit Doval likely to miss BRICS meet in Brazil amid Pahalgam attack fallout

If Doval skips the meeting owing to his focus on India's internal security, Deputy NSA Pawan Kapoor is expected to represent him at the forum, The Economic Times reported, citing sources.

Against the backdrop of the Jammu and Kashmir terror strike, the BRICS NSA meeting is expected to prioritise discussions on cross-border terrorism, terrorism financing, and terror infrastructure, along with broader global security concerns.

The Pahalgam attack on April 22 was the deadliest in the Valley since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is also likely to miss the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting scheduled for April 28–29 in Brazil, according to the report.

However, sources said a final decision regarding Jaishankar’s travel has not yet been made.

If he does not attend, India’s BRICS Sherpa could represent the country.

Foreign ministers and national security advisors from the 11 BRICS member nations are slated to meet to finalise the agenda for the BRICS summit in July, with key discussions expected on artificial intelligence, climate finance, and cross-border payments.

Sources added that the July 6–7 BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro is likely to adopt a multilateral framework on artificial intelligence and a document on climate finance.

The foreign ministers’ meeting will also discuss international crises, including the situations in Ukraine and West Asia.