India and Morocco on Monday, 22 June held a formal meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on Counter Terrorism in New Delhi, during which both nations unequivocally condemned the Pahalgam terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on 22 April 2025 and the terror incident near the Red Fort in New Delhi on 10 November 2025. The talks signal a deepening bilateral security partnership between the two countries across shared threat landscapes.

Key Developments at the JWG Meeting

The session was co-chaired by Vinod Bahade, Joint Secretary (Counter Terrorism) at India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and Hicham Baali, Head of the National Judicial Police Brigade at Morocco's Directorate General of National Security. Both sides exchanged assessments on current and emerging counter-terrorism challenges, covering a wide spectrum of threats.

Discussions spanned countering violent extremism and radicalisation, combating the financing of terrorism, preventing the misuse of technology for terrorist purposes, addressing the nexus between transnational organised crime and terrorism, and monitoring the global movement of terrorists.

Shared Condemnation and Bilateral Commitments

Both delegations unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, explicitly including cross-border terrorism — a formulation that carries particular significance given India's longstanding concerns about state-sponsored terror from across its borders. The two sides agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation through information sharing, capacity building, and the exchange of best practices.

Notably, they also reaffirmed their commitment to cooperation in multilateral forums, including the United Nations, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), and the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF). The next JWG meeting is scheduled to be held in Morocco on a mutually convenient date.

Defence Ties Providing the Backdrop

The counter-terrorism dialogue builds on a broader defence relationship formalised last year. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Morocco in September at the invitation of his counterpart, Abdeltif Loudiyi, where the two ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on defence cooperation. The MoU established a framework covering industrial collaboration, capacity building, and counter-terrorism.

According to the MEA, Moroccan military officers — particularly from the Royal Moroccan Navy — regularly participate in training programmes conducted in India. Indian naval ships have also made goodwill visits to Morocco. High-level delegations from India's National Defence College have been visiting Morocco on study tours, with the most recent visit taking place earlier this month.

What Comes Next

With the next JWG session set to convene on Moroccan soil, the two countries are expected to deepen operational cooperation, particularly on terrorist financing and technology-enabled radicalisation — areas that have grown in urgency globally. The trajectory of India-Morocco security ties suggests a relationship moving from periodic dialogue to structured, institutionalised engagement.