Ex-Ambassador Jawed Ashraf shares geopolitical insights with defence officers

New Delhi, July 9 (IANS) Former Ambassador and Chairman of the India Trade Promotion Organisation, Jawed Ashraf, addressed top defence officers over India’s foreign policy, emphasising that the purposeful pursuit of national interests in the complex global dynamics may not be easy, but it needs to be done, an official said on Thursday.

Delivering a talk at the 82nd Staff Course conducted under the Ministry of External Affairs’ Public Outreach Programme at Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, the IFS officer elaborated on India’s foreign policy, its challenges and way ahead.

He underscored the need for India to enable regional stability, maintain its strategic autonomy and balance global engagements while navigating myriad complex geopolitics.

Earlier, Chief of Army Staff General Dhiraj Seth visited forward areas along the Line of Control in Poonch, Rajouri and Sunderbani. He reviewed the prevailing security dynamics along the Line of Control and the counter-insurgency grid, a statement said on social media platform X.

The Army Chief was briefed on the evolving security environment, operational deployments, surveillance architecture, field innovations and integrated operational readiness.

He also assessed the ongoing infrastructure development and the formation’s sustained efforts to empower the communities of India’s first villages through people-centric initiatives.

General Seth commended all ranks for their operational excellence and unwavering commitment and exhorted them to remain mission-focused, operationally agile and continue striving for excellence.

In a separate development, the Indian Army joined rescue operations following the building collapse at the Waste-to-Energy project site in Moshi of Pune’s Pimpri Chinchwad on Wednesday, said a Defence Ministry official on social media.

After the incident, the Indian Army’s Southern Command responded promptly to the requisition from the state administration and deployed Army rescue, engineer and medical teams for assistance, the official added.

Operating in close coordination with NDRF, Fire Service, Police and civil administration, the Army teams supported search and rescue efforts, debris clearance and on-site medical aid in challenging conditions even as rescue teams continued to look for victim under the debris, the official said.

–IANS

rch/khz