India has backed Palestine’s bid for United Nations membership and reaffirmed its support for a two-state solution to the festering conflict between the Palestinian people and Israel.

New Delhi’s position on Palestine was apprised by Sripriya Ranganathan, a secretary at the External Affairs Ministry, during a ministerial meeting of the Palestine Donor Group, held in Brussels on Monday (July 13, 2026).

India has been backing a vision of a “two-state” solution with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security within recognised borders, consistent with international law.

At the Palestine Donor Group meeting, Ranganathan emphasised that India has been a long standing partner of the Palestinian people, and reaffirmed India’s continued support to a two-state solution as well as to Palestine’s membership of the UN, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

She underlined India’s ongoing developmental assistance, including capacity building programmes and humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine, noting that India’s projects are demand-driven and largely centred on healthcare, education, capacity building, and vocational training, it said.

While stating that India is currently engaged in major projects in healthcare, women’s empowerment and institution building in Palestine, she announced several new projects focused on rehabilitation, health, education and vocational training, the MEA added in a statement.

India on Tuesday (June 9, 2026) called on the global community to hold Pakistan accountable for the loss of lives in the police crackdown in Rawalkot, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). Addressing the weekly press conference, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal accused Pakistan of committing human rights abuses in PoK and said the police crackdown on Rawalkot protests that took place against the steep hike in prices of essential commodities, was “severe”.

“There are reports of severe police brutality in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in which several protesters have been killed and many injured. We hope the international community will hold Pakistan accountable for its misdeeds and abuses,” said Mr. Jaiswal in the briefing. The statement came after media reports from the region informed that police attacked unarmed individuals who were protesting against rise in prices of essential commodities like flour. Protesters had also demanded that authorities should abolish the reservation of 12 seats for refugees in scheduled legislative election on July 27.

PoK has witnessed police crackdown on multiple occasions over the years including in 2025 when nine individuals were killed that included both protesters and police officials. The latest protest that started under the leadership of Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) on June 5 however was triggered when local residents demanded subsidy on electricity  and flour and restoration of civil liberties in Muzaffarabad, Rawalkot, and Mirpur.

Mr. Jaiswal took note of a social media campaign that aims to tarnish the protesters and said, “We continue to see in this context, a pattern of fake news and videos emanating from Pakistan. It is a desperate attempt by Pakistan to cover-up its own failings and deflect attention from its human rights abuses.”

The incidents, especially the internet blackout in PoK have attracted international concern over the past few days. Imran Hussain, Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir in the House of Commons have issued a statement signed by several other British MPs asking the British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to clarify if the crackdown has affected citizens of the United Kingdom. “The people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (PoK), and the many British Kashmiris with deep family and community ties to the region, deserve peace, stability, and the opportunity for their concerns to be addressed through dialogue rather than confrontation,” said Mr. Hussain in his June 6 letter addressed to Foreign Secretary Cooper.

India on Tuesday (June 9, 2026) called on the global community to hold Pakistan accountable for the loss of lives in the police crackdown in Rawalkot, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). Addressing the weekly press conference, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal accused Pakistan of committing human rights abuses in PoK and said the police crackdown on Rawalkot protests that took place against the steep hike in prices of essential commodities, was “severe”.

“There are reports of severe police brutality in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in which several protesters have been killed and many injured. We hope the international community will hold Pakistan accountable for its misdeeds and abuses,” said Mr. Jaiswal in the briefing. The statement came after media reports from the region informed that police attacked unarmed individuals who were protesting against rise in prices of essential commodities like flour. Protesters had also demanded that authorities should abolish the reservation of 12 seats for refugees in scheduled legislative election on July 27.

PoK has witnessed police crackdown on multiple occasions over the years including in 2025 when nine individuals were killed that included both protesters and police officials. The latest protest that started under the leadership of Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) on June 5 however was triggered when local residents demanded subsidy on electricity  and flour and restoration of civil liberties in Muzaffarabad, Rawalkot, and Mirpur.

Mr. Jaiswal took note of a social media campaign that aims to tarnish the protesters and said, “We continue to see in this context, a pattern of fake news and videos emanating from Pakistan. It is a desperate attempt by Pakistan to cover-up its own failings and deflect attention from its human rights abuses.”

The incidents, especially the internet blackout in PoK have attracted international concern over the past few days. Imran Hussain, Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir in the House of Commons have issued a statement signed by several other British MPs asking the British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to clarify if the crackdown has affected citizens of the United Kingdom. “The people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (PoK), and the many British Kashmiris with deep family and community ties to the region, deserve peace, stability, and the opportunity for their concerns to be addressed through dialogue rather than confrontation,” said Mr. Hussain in his June 6 letter addressed to Foreign Secretary Cooper.

India’s new High Commissioner to the U.K., Periasamy Kumaran, formally stepped into his role on Thursday (May 14, 2026), presenting his credentials to Vice-Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps, Scott Furssedonn-Wood.

The new High Commissioner paid tributes to the statues of Mahatma Gandhi in Tavistock Square and Parliament Square and to Babasaheb B.R. Ambedkar at Ambedkar House in London upon assuming charge.

Mr. Kumaran previously served as Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi and as High Commissioner to Singapore prior to that. In London, he succeeds Vikram Doraiswami, who is currently India’s Ambassador to China.

The new year has brought little change in the geopolitical turmoil unleashed by the Trump administration, beginning with the U.S.’s unlawful action in Venezuela, followed by its threats to carry out similar regime-changing operations in South America and stated plans to annex Greenland. The U.S. Congress is now expected to discuss a new law that mandates up to 500% in tariffs on countries purchasing oil or uranium from Russia. The U.S. also stepped up its rhetoric against Iran for crackdowns against protesters, imposing more sanctions and threatening to attack it. In a social media post, Mr. Trump said that he would levy an additional 25% tariff on trade with any country doing business with Iran and the U.S. is pushing India to wind up operations at Chabahar port, where India has invested billions of dollars. In the face of such aggressive and unilateral actions, New Delhi’s responses have been muted, when not weak. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has expressed “deep concern” over events in Venezuela, but did not mention the U.S.’s egregious action of kidnapping the Venezuelan President and his wife, nor did it refer to the violation of basic tenets of international law. No statement has been made on the threats against the other countries (Cuba and Colombia), presumably as they are not in India’s immediate vicinity. On Iran, however, which is a close neighbour and has a historical relationship with India, the government’s reaction has been the most puzzling. It has not commented on the street protests or the U.S.’s threats of strikes and tariffs. The MEA has, however, issued travel advisories for Iran and Israel and is preparing evacuation plans for Indian students in Iran. Government officials also say India will reduce its trade with Iran further from current low levels.

The government’s motivations in not naming the U.S. for its obvious overreach can be explained. After a tense year in ties and a failure to conclude the India-U.S. Bilateral Trade Agreement, there is some hope of some movement on relations soon. U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor has painted an optimistic future for ties, beginning with the trade agreement and the inclusion of India in the U.S.’s high-technology partnership ‘Pax Silica’ next month. Officials may argue that little can be gained by speaking up now and risking another downturn in ties. However, each new threat by the U.S. is hurting ordinary Indians and the Indian economy. Above all, India stands to lose economically, reputationally and in terms of its other relationships as well, in a year where it hopes to host the BRICS+ Summit. The Modi government’s experience from 2019, when it gave up buying Iranian and Venezuelan oil under U.S. pressure should be a signal lesson — appeasement of a global power, however strong, cannot ensure India’s interests, only an assertion of its strategic autonomy can do that.

India and Canada have agreed to adopt a collaborative approach towards a new chapter in bilateral ties, including working closely to combat terrorism and transnational crimes, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday (September 20, 2025).

National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and his Canadian counterpart Nathalie Drouin held wide-ranging talks in New Delhi on Thursday (September 18, 2025) with a focus on repairing the bilateral relations that came under severe strain following a diplomatic spat over the killing of a Sikh separatist in 2023.

The MEA came out with broad outcomes of the talks on Saturday (September 20, 2025).

“The two sides agreed to work closely on the way forward and adopt a collaborative approach towards a new chapter in bilateral relations,” it said.

In June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney on the margins of the G-7 summit at Kananaskis in Canada.

In the meeting, both leaders agreed to pursue “constructive” steps to restore stability in India-Canada ties.

It was also an opportunity to follow up on the discussions between Prime Minister Modi and Mr. Carney, the MEA said on Doval-Drouin talks.

“Both sides acknowledged the clear momentum for rebuilding trust and expanding cooperation at the highest levels of political leadership,” it said.

The MEA said the two NSAs had “productive” discussions on advancing the bilateral relationship, including in areas such as counter terrorism, combating transnational organised crime and intelligence exchanges.

“They agreed to strengthen security cooperation and further reinforce existing mechanisms of engagement,” the MEA said in a statement.

It said, “The two NSAs also deliberated on the priority areas for future cooperation and exchanged views on regional and global developments.”

The talks between the two NSAs came three weeks after India and Canada appointed envoys to each other’s capitals.

India-Canada relations hit rock bottom following then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in 2023 of a potential Indian link to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In October last year, India recalled its High Commissioner and five other diplomats after Ottawa attempted to link them to the Nijjar case. India also expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats.

However, Liberal Party leader Carney’s victory in the parliamentary election in April helped in beginning the process to reset relations.