New Delhi: Days after a woman from Arunachal Pradesh was detained in Shanghai Airport, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday asked China to assure that Indian citizens transiting through Chinese airports won't be targeted or detained.

Addressing a press conference, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal further said that China must respect regulations governing international air travel. The ministry also asked Indian nationals to exercise due discretion while travelling to or transiting through China.

‘Indian nationals must exercise due discretion in China’

" We expect the Chinese authorities to provide assurances that Indian Citizens transiting through Chinese airports will not be selectively targeted, arbitrarily detained or harassed and that regulations governing international air travel will be respected by the Chinese side. MEA would advise Indian nationals to exercise due discretion while travelling to or transiting through China.” Jaiswal said.

Hailing the steps taken by the United Kingdom to sanction anti-India extremist groups, the MEA spokesperson added, "We welcome the steps taken by the UK in sanctioning anti-India extremist groups. The step is an important part in fighting global terrorism and extremism, and helps in curbing transnational crime networks.”

On India-US Counter-Terrorism Working Group

Talking about the 21st meeting of the India-US Counter-Terrorism Working Group that was held on December 3, the spokesperson added, "This dialogue has been going on for several years. Both India and the US attach great importance to counter-terrorism. It is an important part of our comprehensive global strategic partnership with the US”.

Both sides strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam and the recent terrorist attack in Delhi. Both countries reiterated their commitment to strengthening multilateral cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism, whether within the United Nations, the Quad framework, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and many other multilateral forums where we discuss these issues and continue to do so.

MEA on Pakistan

Jaiswal also spoke about the ongoing developments in Pakistan and said that India is constantly monitoring developments in the country. "The democracy in Pakistan is weakening and its foundations have been shaken. Democracy and Pakistan do not go together,” he added.