India and Kazakhstan exchange views on the use of new and emerging technologies by terrorists
Keeping in mind the threat of terrorism, senior officials from India and Kazakhstan have agreed on the importance of counter terrorism cooperation. 
 
The issue of terrorism, including state-sponsored and cross-border, was discussed thoroughly at the 5th meeting of India-Kazakhstan Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism held in Astana, Kazakhstan on April 8, 2024.
 
"Both sides exchanged views on the terrorist threats in their respective regions, including state-sponsored, cross-border terrorism in South Asia, besides terror activities in the Af-Pak region," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
 
According to the MEA, the two sides also assessed counter terrorism challenges, including the use of new and emerging technologies by terrorists, misuse of the internet for terrorist purposes, radicalisation and terror financing.
 
During the talks, both sides emphasised the importance of strengthening counter-terrorism cooperation through exchange of information, capacity building, training programmes, and cooperation at the multilateral fora, such as the UN, EAG and SCO, the MEA said.
 
The Indian delegation was led by KD Dewal, Joint Secretary (CT), Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India, and the Kazakhstan delegation by Talgat Kaliyev, Ambassador-at-Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
 
The two sides agreed to hold the 6th Meeting of JWG on CT in India on a mutually-convenient date.
 
Incidentally, speaking at the Second Meeting of the India-Central Asia Secretaries/ National Security Advisers of the Security Councils hosted by Kazakhstan in Astana on October 17, 2023, India’s National Security (NSA) Advisor Ajit Doval noted that Central Asia and India face common security challenges and threats. "Malign actors from interconnected networks threaten our shared neighbourhood," he stated.
 
Last year, a contingent of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force comprising 120 personnel visited Kazakhstan to take part in the 7th edition of Joint Military ‘Exercise KAZIND-2023’. This was the first time that the IAF participated in the exercise, conducted at Otar, Kazakhstan from October 30 to November 11, 2023.
 
The main objective of this edition of the exercise was for both sides to practice Counter-Terrorism (CT) operations in a sub-conventional environment under the United Nations (UN) mandate. As part of this, the contingents jointly rehearsed various tactical drills to include Raid, Search and Destroy Operations, Small Team Insertion and Extraction Operations.

In view of contemporary challenges, the scope of the exercise also included conduct of Counter Unmanned Aerial System Operations.