Ajit Kumar Doval is a former Indian Intelligence officer and the fifth National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. He assumed his office as the National Security Advisor on May 30, 2014. Doval is well-known for his crucial role in an incident of 2014, ensuring a secure return of 46 Indian nurses trapped in a hospital in Tikrit, Iraq.
Being a retired member of the Indian Police Service (IPS), Ajit has also served as the Director of the Intelligence Bureau in 2004-2005, after spending over a decade as the head of the operation wing.
Ajit Kumar Doval was born into a Garhwali Brahmin family to an Indian Army officer, Major Gunanad Doval on January 20, 1945, in Ghiri Banelsyun village of Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand. Ajit received his early education at King George’s Royal Indian Military School (Ajmer Military school) in Ajmer, Rajasthan. He further went to Agra University and completed his graduation and master’s degree in economics in 1967.
Popular in media as India’s real-life James Bond, Doval has been actively involved in several top-secret missions and a number of intelligence operations relating to nations’ security. Be it the Thalassery riots of 1971, hijackings of Indian Airlines aircraft from 1971 to 1999, or counter-terrorism operations, he has been a part of all. He is also considered the key figure for the doctrinal shift in Indian national security policy in relation to Pakistan, from 'Defensive' to 'Defensive Offensive' as well as the 'Double Squeeze Strategy.'
Interestingly, Ajit is the first police officer to receive a military honour as he is a recipient of the highest gallantry awards of India or the Indian military decoration, the Kirti Chakra.
Ajit Doval tied the knot with Aruni Doval in the year 1972. The couple has two children, Shaurya Doval who was born in 1974 and a younger son named Vivek Doval.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, marking Xi Jinping's first visit to India in seven years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping held bilateral talks in New Delhi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, marking the Chinese leader's first visit to India in several years. Opening statements from both leaders underscored opportunities for bilateral cooperation following the adoption of the BRICS Delhi Declaration. High-level discussions between the core Indian diplomatic delegation and Chinese counterparts focused on key issues, including peace and tranquility along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and addressing the bilateral trade deficit. Experts noted that while border delineation and market access remain central to negotiations, both nations recognize the necessity of strategic coexistence and pragmatic collaboration in the Global South.
The 18th BRICS Summit has commenced at Bharat Mandapam under India's chairship. The summit's agenda focuses on inclusive global governance, supply chain diversification, and advancing multipolarity while avoiding an anti-West orientation. India is working to build consensus on a New Delhi Declaration that strongly addresses the menace of terrorism as an obstacle to economic cooperation and regional security. On the sidelines of the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, marking their first meeting on Indian soil in nearly seven years. Key talking points for the Modi-Xi dialogue include boundary discussions following the Special Representative talks, as well as addressing the widening bilateral trade deficit between India and China amid two-way trade exceeding 150 billion dollars.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived at Palam Airport in New Delhi to attend the BRICS summit and participate in a crucial bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This marks President Xi's first visit to India since the 2020 Galwan clash. Upon his arrival, the Chinese leader received a ceremonial welcome featuring a tri-services guard of honour and a showcase of traditional Indian cultural performances, escorted by Union Minister Jitin Prasada as the minister-in-waiting. The visit follows discussions between Special Representatives Ajit Doval and Wang Yi, who agreed on eight points of consensus in August 2026. Bilateral talks are scheduled to take place at Bharat Mandapam, focusing on border peace, regional stability, trade understanding, and diplomatic engagement. The meeting tests whether the ongoing border thaw can expand into a broader economic and strategic reset between India and China.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in New Delhi for his first visit to India since the 2019 Mamallapuram summit and the 2020 Galwan clashes. The visit follows discussions between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who established a seven-point consensus charter to serve as the framework for high-level bilateral talks. Discussions centre on border stability, trade dynamics, and market access, with bilateral imports reaching record levels. The visit coincides with the presence of international leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in the capital. The engagements highlight diplomatic efforts to navigate bilateral ties, foster economic cooperation, and work towards a consensus declaration during the multilateral summit in New Delhi.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Summit hosted by India, marking his first visit to the country in seven years following the 2020 Galwan Valley border clashes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit to review border disengagement implementation along the Line of Actual Control following military and national security advisor level talks. The leaders also addressed bilateral economic relations and the growing trade deficit. The 18th BRICS Summit brought together representatives from the expanded 11-member bloc under the theme of resilience, innovation, connectivity, and sustainability. Key initiatives discussed include the BRICS Economic Partnership 2030, supply chain resilience, expanded trade in services, and micro, small, and medium enterprise financing. Prime Minister Modi also conducted bilateral discussions with other attending world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, focusing on regional stability and global trade cooperation.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is arriving in New Delhi to attend the 18th BRICS Summit, marking his first visit to India in seven years and the first since the Galwan clashes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping are scheduled to hold a crucial bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the summit in the national capital. The talks are expected to review the phased disengagement implementation along the Line of Actual Control, following previous discussions during the 2024 Kazan and 2025 Tianjin summits, corps commander-level meetings, and the Special Representatives' boundary process involving National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Key agenda points include border security, defining the status of the Line of Actual Control, and addressing bilateral economic ties, with bilateral goods trade exceeding 155 billion dollars in 2025 amid a heavy trade deficit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by a high-level Indian delegation including External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Ajit Doval, and senior Prime Minister's Office officials. The discussions highlight the full spectrum of India-Russia strategic relations across defence, economy, energy, and national security, building on longstanding cooperation such as the BrahMos missile and nuclear submarine projects. Business-to-business cooperation in infrastructure areas like tunnel boring machines and steel usage was noted as critical to economic expansion. Prime Minister Modi also presented President Putin with a Russian translation of the ancient Tamil classic Thirukkural by saint-poet Thiruvalluvar, published under the Central Institute of Classical Tamil translation series.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin met for a bilateral meeting alongside key delegates, including External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. The bilateral discussions focus on advancing strategic ties, reaching a hundred billion dollars in bilateral trade, and addressing the trade deficit between India and Russia. Key agenda items for the leaders also include defence and energy cooperation, building on their long-standing strategic partnership.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting in New Delhi on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. This marks the Chinese President's first visit to India in seven years, following the 2019 informal summit in Mamallapuram and the subsequent 2020 Galwan Valley standoff along the Line of Actual Control. The discussions are expected to touch upon the border situation following agreements reached during National Security Advisor Ajit Doval's Beijing visit, along with economic concerns such as the bilateral trade deficit and market access for critical components.
Ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, the panel examines key diplomatic engagements, including Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit with a 400-member business delegation for bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi agreed upon a seven-point charter covering boundary negotiations, normalization of travels, border meeting points, and military communication. The discussion addresses sticking points in bilateral relations, including the Galwan clashes, border standoffs, and the trade deficit, while exploring whether economic complementarities can foster rapprochement. The panel also highlights geopolitical dynamics within the expanded BRICS grouping, the challenge of building consensus on regional conflicts such as Iran and UAE stances, and External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar's articulation that BRICS is 'non-Western, but not anti-West'. Furthermore, the conversation assesses Washington's perspective, the arrival of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and India's position at the global table balancing diverse multilateral platforms.
India is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, bringing together leaders of major emerging economies representing the Global South. The summit marks Chinese President Xi Jinping's first visit to India in seven years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the event. Key agenda items between India and China include boundary management along the Line of Actual Control, trade deficit concerns, and regional stability following recent core commander-level talks and diplomatic dialogues. Discussions with Russia focus on expanding bilateral trade, defense collaboration, technology sharing, and crude oil supplies. Across the expanded BRICS grouping, member nations are negotiating consensus on global conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war and developments in West Asia. The summit serves as a platform to address supply chain diversification, financial resilience, clean technology dependencies, and trade imbalances while reinforcing multipolarity in global governance.
India is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, bringing together leaders of major emerging economies representing the Global South. The summit marks Chinese President Xi Jinping's first visit to India in seven years.
India is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi on September 12 and 13, bringing together member nations under the themes of resilience, innovation, cooperation, and sustainability.
The stage is set for the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, bringing together global leaders representing significant shares of the world population, trade, and economic output. Chinese President Xi Jinping has confirmed his visit to India for the summit, marking his first trip to the country since the 2019 Mamallapuram engagement and the 2020 Galwan clashes. The visit follows previous interactions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi in Kazan, Tianjin, and Bishkek. Key agenda points for a potential bilateral meeting include peace and stability along the Line of Actual Control, border de-escalation, the boundary dispute, the trade deficit, visa processes, and direct flights. Recent diplomatic efforts, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval's talks in China and corps commander-level meetings in the Eastern Sector, indicate ongoing dialogue amid persistent challenges such as the boundary dispute, Arunachal Pradesh claims, and water resource concerns.
India and China have initiated their first-ever corps commander-level military dialogue in Arunachal Pradesh at the Walcha Border Personnel Meeting point along the Line of Actual Control. The military-level engagement marks a new stage in bilateral discussions aimed at maintaining peace, stability, and de-escalation along the eastern sector. The talks follow diplomatic discussions in Beijing between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. A 12-member delegation is participating in the meeting amid continued bilateral efforts to resolve friction points and normalize border relations following previous disengagements in Depsang Plains and Demchok.
India and China are set to hold Corps Commander-level talks in the Northeast soon, amid reports of tension in Daksing. The Spear Corps Commander is likely to lead the Indian side in the discussions. The two countries are also planning new military hotlines to link the Indian Army's Eastern and Central Commands with China to prevent border escalations. This development follows boundary talks between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing, where both sides agreed to strengthen mechanisms to ensure peace along the border regions.
Visuals from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit show Prime Minister Narendra Modi having a brief handshake with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting gains significance amid strategic differences and border discussions between India and China, including the visit of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to Beijing for talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Discussions also highlighted India's consistent position that bilateral issues should be resolved through dedicated mechanisms while ensuring that territorial integrity and sovereignty are respected within regional organisations. For India, the grouping represents security, connectivity, and opportunity, with an emphasis on minimising differences and maximising consensus across the member states. Key focus areas include expanding Central Asian and Eurasian connectivity, strengthening supply chains, exploring alternative payment systems, promoting startup ecosystems, and leveraging artificial intelligence for economic opportunities.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held crucial bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Bishkek. The Prime Minister met with the President of the host country, the Kyrgyz Republic, to discuss bilateral trade, digital public infrastructure, industrial collaboration, technological incubation centres, and student welfare, noting that over 16,000 Indian students study medicine in Kyrgyzstan. Prior to this, Prime Minister Modi held a bilateral meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian amid the ongoing West Asia crisis. The discussions focused on energy ties, trade, regional peace, and the safety of Indian seafarers in the Strait of Hormuz. Prime Minister Modi thanked Iran for the safe exit of stranded Indians and the return of seafarers. The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that the Prime Minister reiterated India's firm stance that all regional conflicts must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, while emphasizing the critical need to safeguard maritime commerce and freedom of navigation.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing to discuss India-China border issues and review peace efforts along the Line of Actual Control. The engagement comes ahead of the upcoming BRICS Summit in India, where Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend. During the visit, NSA Doval also met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and reviewed the early harvest procedures under the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination process. The Indian side emphasized that maintaining peace and tranquility along the LAC is paramount for the betterment of bilateral ties.
