Ajit Doval.
New Delhi: After the Pakistani side used a fictitious map as a backdrop for its representative depicting sovereign Indian territories as part of Pakistan, India’s national security adviser, Ajit Doval, protested and left the meeting of the NSAs of member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on Tuesday.
The meeting which was held online, co-hosted by Russia as the Chair of the SCO.
“At the meeting of the national security advisers of member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, hosted by the chair of the SCO (Russia), the Pakistani NSA deliberately projected a fictitious map that Pakistan has recently been propagating,” India’s foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastav said here on Tuesday.
“This was in blatant disregard to the advisory by the host against it and in violation of the norms of the meeting,” he said.
After consultation with the host, Russia, the Indian side left the meeting in protest at that juncture, Srivastav added.
However, according to government sources, the Russian side tried very hard to persuade Pakistan not to use the map.
They said the Russian national security council secretary, Nikolai Patrushev, has conveyed that he was “personally very grateful” to Doval for attending the SCO NSAs summit.
They said, “Russia does not support what Pakistan has done and hopes that Pakistan’s provocative act will not affect India’s participation in SCO and definitely not cast any shadow on Patrushev’s warm personal relationship for NSA for whom he has the highest regard.”
