Transcript of Weekly Media Briefing by the Official Spokesperson (May 22, 2025)
India - Ministry of External Affairs
May 22, 2025
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Namaskar,aap sabhi ka is press vaarta mein swagat hai.
[Approximate Translation: A warm welcome to all of you to this press conference.]
A warm welcome to this press conference. So let's begin. The floor is open for questions.
Ayushi Agarwal, ANI: Sir, this is Ayushi from ANI. I have two questions. One, regarding the trilateral meeting held in Beijing between China, Pakistan, and Taliban, where they spoke about expanding the CPEC to Afghanistan. What is India's comment on that, since we have been critical of the CPEC? And also, during the recent conversation held between our External Affairs Minister and Taliban Acting Foreign Minister Muttaqi, did India raise its concerns to Kabul?
And second, a question related to the multi-party delegation that we are sending globally. What is the message that India wants to give on the world stage, especially when it comes to exposing Pakistan on terrorism?
Pranay Upadhyaya, India Today Aaj Tak: Sir, this is Pranay Upadhyaya from India Today - Aaj Tak. You must have seen the statement by the President of the United States, Donald Trump. He again claimed that he has brokered the peace deal between India and Pakistan. You have clarified it in your previous briefing. But did we take it up with the U.S. authorities, with the U.S. State Department? And what is their response on this thing?
Yeshi Seli: I have two questions. One is that, you know, the Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan have met twice in the past couple of weeks. They also met in Kabul. Is that a point of concern for India?
And what is the update on the Indo-U.S. Bilateral Trade Agreement since our Commerce Minister was there recently? Anything to talk about? Is it going to be in phases or in one go?
Rishabh, Times Now: Sir, good evening. Rishabh from Times Now. Sir, have we hired any PR agency in Washington to outreach in Washington ... for that matter?
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Okay. Let me go over these questions. So, first, Ayushi, regarding your question on trilateral that has been held in the Beijing. We have seen some reports; I have nothing further to say beyond that.
As far as the External Affairs Minister's conversation with Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan is concerned, we had put out a release; it was put out on X; all the details of the conversation that happened. External Affairs Minister thanked Acting Foreign Minister for his very strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack. As also they agreed to advance bilateral cooperation in several areas, as to how we can further strengthen development partnership. So those details are available in public domain, so I would urge you to have a look at that. External Affairs Minister also welcomed his firm rejection of recent attempts to create distrust between India and Afghanistan through false and baseless reports. So these details are available in the public domain.
On the multi-party delegation, you have received information through PIB press releases. In all, there are seven multi-party or all-party delegations that have gone, or would be going. Three of these have departed. One in fact departed this morning to Russia, from there they will travel to other countries including Slovenia, Greece, Latvia and Spain.
Two groups, one to Japan left yesterday, and that group will be travelling from Japan to South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. And the second group which left yesterday was to the United Arab Emirates. They will also further be travelling to DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), to Liberia and to Sierra Leone.
Four groups are to travel shortly. Three groups will be leaving on 24th ... and this is to the United States, one country ... several other countries along with it. Then there is a group which will go to South Africa, Ethiopia, Algeria, and Egypt, these four countries. And then the seventh group will travel on 25th. They will go to Europe, to France, UK, Germany, Brussels and Denmark and one/two more countries.
See the central idea behind this objective ... this is a political mission. We want to make a strong outreach to the world, to convey our resolve to fight terrorism. We want the world to come together to fight terrorism tooth and nail in all its forms and manifestations. We want to exhort the world to hold those responsible for cross-border terrorism accountable. Those have been practicing it for the last 40 years against India; that is Pakistan. Their actions need to be called out. They have to be held accountable for the terror attacks that they have carried out against India.
So that is the larger message, the unity of India, the purpose of India, and this will be an occasion for us to thank our international partners for the strong support, sense of solidarity that they conveyed to us in the wake of the terror attack in Pahalgam. As also we will convey the details of OPERATION SINDOOR; the objective behind OPERATION SINDOOR; and what we mean when we say there should be zero tolerance on terrorism.
So for further details I would refer you to the press releases that have been issued by the PIB to get more factual details. But we are posting all the details of the meetings through press releases, through video reportage, etc. They are being circulated, so please follow them through our handles and through the Ministry of External Affairs website.
Pranay, on the question of President Trump, in the last briefing I had made very clear; I had addressed this issue. Further to that I have nothing to add, but at the same time I would like to let you know that you are aware of our position that any India-Pakistan engagement has to be bilateral. At the same time I would like to remind you that talks and terror don't go together. On terrorism itself, as I had said earlier, we are open to discussing the handing over to India of noted terrorists whose list was given to Pakistan some years ago.
I would also like to underline that any bilateral discussion on Jammu and Kashmir will only be on the vacation of illegally occupied Indian territory by Pakistan. And on the question of Indus waters treaty, I am again repeating myself, it will remain in abeyance until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjure its support for cross-border terrorism. As our Prime Minister has said, water and blood cannot flow together; trade and terror also cannot go together.
Yeshi, regarding meeting between two countries, that's fine, we have taken note of them. Further to that...
Unidentified Speaker: (inaudible)
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Dekhiye pichhle press vaarta mein humne is mudde par apna paksh rakha tha, uske aage mujhe aur kuch kehne ki zarurat nahi hai. Lekin main yeh baat aapke saamne rakh doon ki yeh teen jo mudde hain Bharat-Pakistan par, us par hamara kya paksh hai. Bharat-Pakistan ka jo bhi engagement hoga, woh bilateral tareeke ... do pakshiya tareeke se hi hoga. Saath hi saath main kehna chahunga ki vaarta aur aatankvaad dono saath mein nahi chal sakte hain. Jahan tak aatankvaad ka sawaal hai, hum yeh baat karne ke liye tayyar hain. Lekin jo baatcheet hogi, us par hogi ki Bharat ne jo ek list di thi Pakistan ko kuch saal pehle, us list mein kai ek terrorists the, unko kab woh Bharat ko hawale kar rahe hain, is baat par baat hogi.
Jahan tak bilateral discussion, do pakshiya discussion, baatcheet ki baat hai Jammu-Kashmir ke maamle mein, us par sirf aur sirf ek hi baat par baatcheet hogi, woh hai ki jo illegal tareeke, avaidh tareeke se Pakistan ne jo Bharatiya bhoomi ko kabza kar rakha hai, usko jald se jald woh vacate karein.
Jahan tak Sindhu Jal Sandhi ka sawaal hai, woh abeyance mein rahega, sthagit rahega tab tak jab tak Pakistan credible tareeke se, vishwasniya tareeke se aur irrevocable tareeke se aatankvaad ko khatam nahi karta. Aur jaisa ki humare pradhan mantri ne kaha uss par main apko, apka dhyan kendrid karna chahunga ki paani aur khoon dono saath me nahi beh sakta hain.
[Approximate Translation: Answer in Hindi: Look, in the previous press conference, we had presented our stance on this issue. Beyond that, I don't think there is anything more I need to say. However, I do want to reiterate what our position is on the three issues related to India and Pakistan.
Any engagement between India and Pakistan will only happen through a bilateral framework. I would also like to emphasize that dialogue and terrorism cannot go hand-in-hand. As far as terrorism is concerned, we are ready to have a discussion, but that discussion will only be about when Pakistan will hand over the terrorists listed by India a few years ago. The list included several terrorists, and the conversation will revolve around when Pakistan plans to hand them over to India.
Regarding bilateral discussions, specifically in the matter of Jammu and Kashmir, there will be only one point of conversation — that Pakistan must vacate the Indian territory it has illegally and unlawfully occupied, as soon as possible.
As for the Indus Waters Treaty, it will remain in abeyance — suspended — until Pakistan credibly, reliably, and irreversibly eliminates terrorism. And as our Prime Minister has said "water and blood cannot flow together".]
Yeshi, on your question regarding meetings of two Foreign Ministers of different countries. It's for them to decide what they have to do, how they have to engage. Beyond that, I don't have any comment to make, but I would also like to urge what I conveyed to Ayushi, the meeting that had happened ... the telecon that happened between Afghan Foreign Minister and External Affairs Minister.
On BTA, as you know that these talks are going on in Washington, D.C. presently. Our Commerce and Industry Minister, along with our team, they are there to negotiate. This is an ongoing process and we will update you as and when we have something to share with you. So that is where it is.
On Rishabh, your question regarding hiring of lobby firms, so let me tell you that this is something which is not new, which is not a new practice. This has been in place for several decades now and has been the practice under successive governments since the 1950s. In fact, even beyond that, 1949 first lobby firm was hired in Washington, D.C., possibly others also.
These firms have been regularly engaged by the Indian embassy as per the situation, or as per the requirement that arises. All such engagements are available in the public domain, so you can visit the U.S. Department of Justice website and access all the information that is there. In fact, in the run-up to the nuclear deal of 2007, similarly, we had engaged firms to strengthen India's case in the United States.
I should also add that such a practice is very common among embassies and other organizations in Washington, D.C., and other parts of the United States. Just to give you a little more factual details about it ... in 1949, the embassy had hired Rosen and Fred. In 1954, GoI hired Schaler, Butler Associates. In 1958, GoI hired Moss Edward K. From 1969 to 1974, GoI had hired Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLC. In 1981 to 1983, GoI had Baron / Canning & Co Inc. From 1992 to 1993, GoI had hired International Development Systems Inc. In 2005, till date, GoI has hired BGR Govt. Affairs LLC.
So all this information, I mean, just give you some samples of it. But all this information is available on the U.S. Department of Justice website. It is available in public domain, so you can have a look at it.
Huma Siddiqui, StratNews Global: Sir I'm Huma Siddiqui from StratNews Global. I have two questions. Recently, the U.S. administration had imposed visa restrictions on travel agents. Would you have the number of such agents, and in which state are they located? And my second question is, has any Indian self-deported from the U.S. in the recent past?
Neeraj, News18 India: Sir, Neeraj hu News 18 India se. Latvia, Liberia, Congo, Bahrain, and Colombia, ye panch aise desh hain jo alage saal se surakshya parisad ke non-permanent members banenge. Yaha delegation ko bhejne ka maksad kya hain?
Dusara sawal ye hain sir ki videsh mantri Jaishankar daure pe the Netherlands ke. Netherlands se Pakistan ko arm supply ka masla bhi ek mahatwapurna masla raha hain Bharat ke taraf se. kya iss masle pe baatchit huwi? Kis taraha se maujuda waqt me iss chinta ko jahir kiya hain?
[Approximate Translation: Question in Hindi Sir, I'm Neeraj from News18 India. Latvia, Liberia, Congo, Bahrain, and Colombia — these are five countries that will become non-permanent members of the Security Council starting next year. What is the purpose of sending a delegation there?
My second question is, sir, that Foreign Minister Jaishankar was on a visit to the Netherlands. The issue of arms supply from the Netherlands to Pakistan has also been an important concern from India's side. Was this issue discussed? In what way has this concern been conveyed at present? ]
Ayanangsha Maitra: Sir Ayanangsha Maitra. This is again in the line of the conversation between acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Muttaqi and Dr. S. Jaishankar. Sir you mentioned teleconference. Was it a normal telephone or a video telephony? How long was the duration and was trade logistics discussed during the conversation? Thank you, sir.
Krishna Mohan Sharma, Bharat Express: Sir Krishna Mohan Sharma Bharat Express se. mera ek sawal hain ki jo Pakistan aur Bharat ke bich tension jo huwa Pahalgam ke baad, uspe Attari border pe dono taraf se rok diya gaya tha jo humare functions hote hain. Usko partially restore kardiya gaya hain ke haath nahi milayegen lekin waha pe ceremony hogi dono taraf se. Kya jo humare rajnaiko ke sankhya kum ki gai thi uss darmayan? Uske restore hone ke koi sambhawana near future me hain?
[Approximate Translation: Question in Hindi: Sir, Krishna Mohan Sharma from Bharat Express. My question is regarding the tension between Pakistan and India after the Pahalgam incident, due to which the functions held at the Attari border were stopped from both sides. It has now been partially restored — they won't shake hands, but the ceremony will take place from both sides. During that period, was the number of our diplomats reduced? Is there any possibility of restoring that in the near future?]
Ubeer Naqushbandi, The Tribune: Hello, Sir. This is Ubeer from Tribune. Sir my question is regarding this ... two Pakistan officials have been deported within a week from the Pakistan High Commission. Can you please clarify and elaborate, you know, what were the cases and why were they, you know, asked to expel within 24 hours from the country.
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Okay. Huma, regarding restrictions on agents. These are details that you will have to seek from the U.S. Embassy. They will be in a position to provide. As far as we are concerned, we have taken action against agents who promote illegal immigration and we will continue to do so in the future as well. All law enforcement agencies are taking due action.
In regard to self-deported Indian students, there was one Indian student who had self-deported sometime back of which we had given you some information. But other than that, if somebody is traveling in his own accord, it is very difficult for us to come to know unless he or she provides us information.
Neeraj, humare jo delegations hain duniya ke 33 desho me ja rahe hain. Ye jitne desh hain ye humare bade mazboot international partners hain. Inse humare badi acche riste hain. Kai ek isme security council me abhi member hain ya aane wale dino me security council me aane wale hain. In sabhi chijo ko madhya nazar rakhte huwe ye jaruri tha ki hum inn desho pe jaye taki humko apna Bharat ka jo sandesh hain aatankwad ko le ke aur kis prakar se duniya ki sabhi logo ko, samudaye ko jo global community hain, unko saath milke iss challenge se kis prakar se ladna hain, isko samjhane ke liye, ispe baat karne ke liye, ispe sahamati banane ke liye humare delegations waha gai hain. Latvia ka naam apne jikar kiya. Liberia ka jikar kiya. DRC ka jikar kiya. Ye sab desh abhi security council me jaane wale hain, aur iss nazariye se unki bhumika aham ho jati hain.
Netherlands ke mamle me videsh mantri ka daura Netherlands ka 19 aur 20 May ko raha. Do din pahele. Waha par unki mulakat waha ke pradhan mantri se huwi, waha ke videsh mantri se huwi. Waha ke defense minister se bhi baatchit huwi hain. Aur uske alwae waha par jo Bharatiya samudaye ke logo hain unse bhi mulakat huwi hain aur saath hi saath waha par jo Think Tank ke log hain, warg ke log hain unse mulakat huwi hain. To saare muddo par jitne bhi dueipakshiya mudde hain, unpe baatchit huwi hain aur humara manna hain ki iss daure se jo Netherlands aur Bharat ki maitri hain, dosti hain jo partnership hain usko aur majbooti melega.
[Approximate Translation: Answer in Hindi: Neeraj, our delegations are going to 33 countries around the world. All these countries are our strong international partners. We have very good relations with them. Some of them are already members of the Security Council, or are going to become members in the coming days. Keeping all these things in mind, it was necessary for us to visit these countries so that we could convey India's message regarding terrorism — and how the people of the world, the global community as a whole — needs to come together to fight this challenge, to explain it, to discuss it, and to build consensus on it. You mentioned Latvia, Liberia, and DRC — all these countries are going to join the Security Council soon, and from that perspective, their role becomes important.
Regarding the Netherlands, the EAM's visit to the Netherlands took place on the 19th and 20th of May — just two days ago. There, he met with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, the Foreign Minister, and also had discussions with the Defense Minister. In addition, he met with members of the Indian community residing there, and also with members of think tanks and intellectual circles. So, all the bilateral issues were discussed, and we believe that this visit will further strengthen the friendship and partnership between the Netherlands and India.]
Ayanangsha this was a telephone conversation between the two leaders. You had seen what we have put out. In addition, the Afghan side also has given a readout. From our side, the External Affairs Minister thanked him for his strong support on the Pahalgam terror attack. Also, he welcomed very firm rejection of the recent attempts to create distrust between India and Afghanistan through false and baseless reports. The External Affairs Minister also underlined the traditional friendship with the Afghan people and continued support for their development needs. We discussed and now we want to take this engagement forward through various means, including through development partnership, including through people-to-people contacts, so on and so forth.
Krishna Mohan ji, jahan tak ... dekhiye jo cabinet committee ki meeting hui thi uske baad se foreign secretary ne isi manch se aap logo ko dhyan laya tha ki kis prakar ka kadam hum log utha rahe hain Pakistan Pahalgam atankwadi ghatna ke baad, Pakistan ke sandarbh mei. Toh us samay jo hum logo ne press vigypati jaari ki thi ki hamari jo sankhya hai waha 55 se ghata ke hum log 30 la rahe hain, woh 30 pe hi hai. Abhi lekin aapne dekha hoga ki abhi haal mein do Pakistani uchayog ke do staff members ko persona non grata kiya gaya hai, kyuni woh jis prakar ki harkate yaha kar rahe the, woh unke jo official status se uska koi lena dena nahi hai, woh uske violation mein hai ek tarike se. toh sankhya to wahi hai jahan tak jo hum logo ne pehle bataya tha wahi tak diplomatic rajnaik waha ki unke kitne hamare yaha rahenge aur hamare kitne rahenge wo sankhya ka ... jo tay sankhya hai jo number hai woh hi hai.
[Approximate Translation: Answer in Hindi Mr. Krishna Mohan, after the Cabinet Committee meeting, the Foreign Secretary had informed you all from this very platform about the steps we were taking with regard to Pakistan following the terrorist incident in Pahalgam.
At that time, we had issued a press release stating that we were reducing the number (of diplomatic staff) from 55 to 30. That number remains at 30 even now. However, you may have noticed that recently, two staff members of the Pakistani High Commission were declared persona non grata because of their activities here, which had nothing to do with their official duties and were, in fact, in violation of their official status. So, the number remains the same. As far as what we had communicated earlier — regarding how many of their diplomats will stay here and how many of ours will stay there — that number remains fixed and unchanged. ]
Ubeer, on the questions again ... we had put out a press release, one yesterday, one on 13th, that there are Pakistani High Commission staff members who have been conducting activities that are not in keeping with their official status. And for that reason, they have been told to leave India. One has left India. The other one was given 24 hours yesterday to leave India. So, hopefully, by the end of those 24 hours, he would also depart India.
Sridhar Kumaraswamy, Asian Age, Deccan Chronicle: Sir Sridhar here from Asian Age, Deccan Chronicle. My first question is that the External Affairs Minister's phone call with the acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan ... I gather it is the first time that he has spoken to him. So, is India inching towards formal recognition of the Taliban regime in Kabul?
Secondly, we saw last week that the security clearance of Türkiye firm Celebi had been revoked on national security grounds. Has the Indian government been in touch with the Türkiye government on their support to Pakistan during the recent conflict?
And just lastly, one small question. Have we already slashed ... you just mentioned, as the quote of the Prime Minister saying, of course, that blood and water cannot flow together. Have we already slashed the quota, the water that would normally have gone over to Pakistan? Have we used any of our dams to divert that water? Has it happened so far? Thank you.
Megha Sharma, NewsX: Good evening, Sir. Megha from NewsX. My question about Netherlands, the meeting that was held by the External Affairs Minister with the Defence Minister of Netherlands ... spoke about deepening the defence relationship between both countries. If you could give me the salient points of what was discussed. Has something concrete come out of it?
And secondly, these delegations, the all-party parliament delegations that are travelling across the 33 countries, is there likelihood of potential press interactions with foreign media that are going to take place? As we saw, External Affairs Minister spoke to two of these press agencies in Netherlands.
Manish Chand, India Writes Network: Manish Chand, India Writes Network. Sir, what's your view of China's role in the India-Pakistan crisis? I have a couple of specific questions. Number one, China has tried to counter India's freezing of the Indus Waters Treaty by helping build a dam for Pakistan. That's number one.
Number two, you know, there's a lot of talk about Trump playing a role in brokering the ceasefire. Have we been in touch with the Chinese after Operation Sindoor? What has been the nature of discussion? Did China play any role in the ceasefire?
Alex, New York Times: Thank you, Sir. Alex from the New York Times. I've got a question or two about the G7 happening next month in Canada. We'd like to know if India, Prime Minister Modi has been invited, if there's any chance of his actually attending, and if he doesn't attend, if there's any other way for India to participate. We believe it would be the sixth consecutive G7 for India.
Siddhant, CNN News 18: Hi, Sir. I'm Siddhant from CNN News 18. Sir, I want to know Indian government's reaction to the killing of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington DC. Thank you.
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Okay. Sridhar, first ... regarding External Affairs Minister's meeting. Yes. The first time that we are having conversation at the level of the Foreign Minister. In that sense, you know, it is an important development. As far as the details of the conversation, I just told you what was discussed. And this was also put out. On the Türkiye matter ... Celebi ... this matter has been discussed with the Türkish Embassy here, the Türkish Embassy and our Ministry of External Affairs. But I understand that this particular decision was taken by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security because they are mandated with security issues.
On the question of Türkiye, well, you know, we expect Türkiye to strongly urge Pakistan to end its support to cross-border terrorism and take credible and verifiable action against the terror ecosystem that it has harbored for decades now. And relations, as you know, are built on the basis of sensitivities to each other's concerns.
On IWT, we have spoken, so I would refer you to all our Press Releases, what we have done. You know, we have made it very clear that the IWT is in abeyance till such time, Pakistan abjures, you know, credibly and irrevocably supporting cross-border terrorism.
Megha, on Netherlands, see, this was a bilateral visit. External Affairs Minister called on the Prime Minister of Netherlands. He also met with the Foreign Minister, and discussed a whole range of issues. Netherlands, we have very strong partnership in the field of technology, in economy, in trade, investment, on green partnership, on innovation and defense is again an important area. So all these aspects were discussed and we put out a press release. So I would refer you to have a look at the Press Release for more details in this regard.
You also asked questions about the 33 countries. Yes, the 33 countries, I mean, where the delegations are going, they will be interacting with media, the domestic media, I mean, the international media there, domestic media there, and they will have several engagements. So, you will see many of those ... of our leader of delegation attending interviews, engaging the international media, trying to put India's point of view to our stakeholders in those countries.
Manish ji, on your question regarding China. Now, you know, on 10th of May, I think, our National Security Advisor, he had a telephone conversation with his counterpart, the Foreign Minister and the Special Representative on Boundary Issue, Mr. Wang Yi. During this conversation, our National Security Advisor conveyed clearly, India's resolute stance on cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. And just to underline that the Chinese side is well aware that mutual trust, mutual sensitivity, and mutual respect forms .... or remains the basis of India-China relations.
Alex, on G7 I have no information at this point in time on this issue, but let me check and we will get back to you.
Siddhant, your question was on the attack in Washington DC. This is deeply shocking. You must have seen the message also posted by External Affairs Minister. On my part, we can say that this is deeply shocking. We condemn the attack. We offer our deepest condolences to the families of the victims. Those responsible for this heinous act must be brought to justice. Safety and security of diplomatic staff is paramount.
Kallol Bhattacherjee, The Hindu: Sir, Kallol Bhattacherjee, from The Hindu. So, is there any plan to reach out to the neighborhood also, in terms of multi-party delegations and also the BIMSTEC countries, especially.
Sudhi Ranjan Sen, Bloomberg: Sir, thank you, Sudhi Ranjan Sen, from Bloomberg. Associated question to Kallol sir. Sir, is India reaching out to China on this. We don't see the parliamentary delegations going to China. And also there have been reports from India's Defense Ministry about China helping Pakistan with its air defense in the interim, after the attack happened in Kashmir. Has India raised these concerns with China? Because we see that it is raising these concerns with Türkiye.
Soumya, Republic TV: Sir, this is Soumya from Republic TV. Sir, my question is with regards to China's role in helping Pakistan, with regards to us holding in abeyance the Indus Waters Treaty. Now there are reports suggesting that it has paced up the construction of a dam there. So, your comment on that?
Gautam Lahiri: Hi, this is Gautam Lahiri. I have a question regarding the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Recently, India is pushing back a few hundreds illegal immigrants to Bangladesh. After that Bangladesh government, according to their media reports, they have sent a letter to India ... that to stop the pushback. And so, what is the status of this pushback system?
Alpyu, NBT: Sir, Gaza ke haalaat kharaab hain, wahan maanviya sankat jo hai, khada ho gaya hai aur kuch deshon ne Israel ka jo military action hai, usko criticize bhi kiya hai. Bharat sarkar ki is par kya pratikriya hai?
[Approximate Translation: Question in Hindi: Sir, the situation in Gaza is bad. A humanitarian crisis has emerged there, and some countries have also criticized Israel's military action. What is the Indian government's response to this?]
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Okay. So, Kallol, first, we have given details of the 33 countries that we are reaching out. So, those details of the countries that our delegations are going out to, is there for you to see.
Sudhi on your question regarding India, as I told you, our National Security Advisor spoke to his counterpart on 10th of May, where he clarified that our stance on fighting cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan remains firm and resolute. It is also our understanding that the Chinese side is aware that mutual trust, mutual respect, and mutual sensitivity form the basis of India-China relations.
Soumya, again, you know, on China, as I have told you, that the Chinese side is aware that mutual trust, mutual sensitivity, and mutual respect happens to be the basis of India-China relations.
Dada, your questions regarding illegal immigration. See, illegal ... people who are staying in India illegally, or foreigners who are staying in India illegally, whether they happen to be Bangladeshi national or any other national, they will be dealt as per law.
We have a large number of Bangladeshi nationals here who are required to be deported. We have asked Bangladeshi side to verify their nationality. We have a pending list of 2360 ... upwards of 2360 cases of people who are required to be deported. Many of them have actually completed their jail sentences also. And in many cases, the nationality verification is required to be done. It is pending since 2020. So, almost five years have passed, gone by. So, we would urge the Bangladeshi side that they must expedite the verification process so that people who are required to be deported can be sent back to Bangladesh. They must expedite this process.
Dekhiye, Bharat mein avaidh tareeke se jo log reh rahe hain, chahe woh Bangladesh ke ho, ya kisi aur desh ke ho, un par vidhivat kanoon vad kaarvaai ki jaayegi. Bangladesh ka jahan tak sawaal hai, hamare yahan 2360 logon se upar — infact agar precise kahein to 2369 — aise cases hain jo abhi tak lambit hain, jismein hum logon ne maanga hai ki yeh aapke nagrik hain, inka verification ho ke, nationality verification ho ke aap in logon ko wapas le jaayein, apne ghar le jaayein.
Ismein kai ek waise log hain jo jail mein the, jail mein unka sentencing khatam ho gaya, aur kai ek aise cases hain jismein ki 2020 se lambit cases chal rahe hain. To abhi ismein zarurat yeh hai ki Bangladesh is par kaarvaai karein, jaldi se verification karein taaki yeh jo deportation ki prakriya hai, usko jald se jald poora kiya jaaye.
[Approximate Translation: Answer in Hindi Look, in India, those who are residing illegally — whether they are from Bangladesh or any other country — will be dealt with through due legal process. As far as Bangladesh is concerned, we currently have over 2,360 — in fact, to be precise, 2,369 — such pending cases where we have requested verification of individuals we believe to be Bangladeshi nationals. We've asked for their nationality to be verified so they can be taken back to their country.
Many among them are people who were in jail, have completed their sentences, and several of these cases have been pending since 2020. So now, what's needed is for Bangladesh to act on this, to carry out the verifications quickly so that the deportation process can be completed as soon as possible.]
Aapka sawaal Gaza ke upar... dekhiye, Gaza ke upar hamara kya rukh hai, kya paksh hai, isse aap sabhi log bhaanti ... bhali bhanti se avagat hain. Maine kai dafa is baat par hum logon ne charcha ki hai, hum logon ne press vigyapti bhi diya hai, aur toh main chahunga ki hum logon ne jo pehle is maamle par jo baat rakhi hai Gaza par, us par aap dhyan dein.
Our position on Gaza is very clear and I have said this on several occasions ... you know what is our stand on Gaza. So, I would refer you to my comments earlier and also to the press releases that we have issued in the past.
Manas, PTI: This is Manas from PTI, Press Trust of India. So, I mean the military has already openly said that in fact how Pakistan received military support from China during the Operation Sindoor. So, my question is in fact, we are in the process of normalizing our ties with China. We are initiating a number of initiatives in the last few months, including resumption of the Mansarovar Yatra. So, will China's military support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor impact the normalization process between India and China?
And a quick second question is, we have been maintaining that Operation Sindoor is not yet completed. So, have we put any conditionalities to Pakistan ... so that in fact it can be concluded? Or what is the timeline or is it an indefinite kind of an operation? We will keep it open? Just a clarification, if you can have?
Dhairya Maheshwari, Sputnik News: Good evening, Sir. So, my first question is regarding the IMF bailout to Pakistan. On 16th of May, the 1.2 billion dollar tranche was disbursed to Pakistan. So, India had opposed this. We heard Foreign Secretary expressing reservations. India had also abstained from a vote. And Defence Minister had also made a statement. So, what would be India's reaction to that, I mean, continued assistance.
And the second question is in regards to the ... EU foreign policy chief, they have said that Brussels wants to lower the Russian oil price cap from 60 dollar per barrel as part of a new sanctions package. And this demand from EU and the UK was also raised at the G7 Foreign Ministers Meeting. India being a chief importer of Russian crude, what would be India's reaction to that? Thank you.
Sanjeev Trivedi, News24: Sir, main Sanjeev Trivedi hoon News 24 se. Jaisa ki apekshit tha, poora desh is poori prakriya mein ek tha. Lekin ek prashn hai jo lagataar baar-baar videsh mantri, videsh mantralay se poocha ja raha hai ke kya hum logon ne Pakistan ko hamle ki poorv jaankari de di thi? Waise toh yeh raajneetik realm mein hai, lekin ek aadhikarik pratikriya aapse isliye apekshit hai ki kya kootneetik star par yeh baat unhein batayi gayi thi? Did we inform them before hitting?
[Approximate Translation: Question in Hindi: Sir, I'm Sanjeev Trivedi from News 24. As expected, the entire nation stood united throughout this process. But there is one question that is being repeatedly asked to the External Affairs Minister and the Ministry of External Affairs — did we inform Pakistan in advance about the strike? While this largely falls within the political realm, an official response is expected from you. Was this communicated to them at the diplomatic level? Did we inform them before hitting?]
Trupti, the Wall Street Journal: Hi, this is Trupti with the Wall Street Journal. The Shangri-La Dialogue is taking place in Singapore at the end of this month, a security forum for the region. Does India have plans to send participation there? What sort of participation is India thinking of?
Manish: Thank you, Sir. Promise hain ekdam naya sawal hain, Sir. Sir, US Army aur Air Force dono Bangladesh mein Cox's Bazar ke paas exercise kar rahi hai, ye theek woh location hai jahan se mushkil se 10-20 minute ke distance par Saint Martin Island hai. Toh Bharat is maamle ko kis roop mein dekh raha hai? Especially tab jab next month bhi India ... Bangladesh aur US ke beech exercise hone wala hai.
[Approximate Translation: Question in Hindi: This is indeed a fresh question, Sir. Sir, both the US Army and Air Force are conducting exercises near Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh — a location that is barely 10-20 minutes away from Saint Martin's Island. How does India view this development? Especially considering that next month, a joint exercise involving India ... Bangladesh, and the US is also scheduled to take place.]
Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: So, Manas, again, first your question, I have already answered your question that the Chinese side is aware that mutual trust, mutual sensitivity, and mutual respect forms the basis of India-China relations.
Dhairya on IMF, we have put out a statement, Ministry of Finance has put out a statement. So, I would refer you to look at the statement to get to know more of our stance.
On the EU foreign policy, this is a question that you must ask the European Union, you know, what do they desire, how do they want to take things forward. As far as we are concerned, you know, our energy requirements are decided as per the market conditions and the prevailing global situation.
Sanjeev, aapka sawaal — hum logon ne Pakistan ko bataya ek baar jab humne unko maara ... Maarne ke baad bataya, DGMO ke tahat ke maadhyam se, ki hum logon ne Operation Sindoor ke tahat jo hamara right to respond tha, woh humne kiya hai. Aur uske baad humne bataya. Toh ghatna ke baad bataya.
[Approximate Translation: Answer in Hindi: Sanjeev, regarding your question — we informed Pakistan after the strike. Once the operation was carried out, we conveyed the information through the DGMO (Director General of Military Operations) channel. Under Operation Sindoor, we exercised our right to respond, and after that, we informed them. So yes, the communication took place post-strike.]
Trupti ... Shangri-la Dialogue, at this point in time I don't have information to share, but hopefully closer to the date we will get you more details.
Manishji, your question regarding the exercise that is happening in Bangladesh. These are developments that we closely follow.
Aise jitne bhi gatividhi hota hai, usko hum badi paini nazar se dekhte hain aur uchit kaarvaai aur kadam uthate hain.
[Approximate Translation: Answer in Hindi: We view all such activities very seriously and take appropriate actions and measures accordingly.]
Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen.
New Delhi
May 22, 2025
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