Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Monday held wide ranging talks, during which the issue of anti-India activities conducted by Khalistani organisation SFJ (Sikh For Justice) in the United States was raised. India expressed its concerns and asked the US admin to take strong action against the unlawful organisation.
Notably, Singh's concern over SFJ takes significance as US prosecutors had charged an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, for his alleged involvement in the conspiracy to kill Gurpatwant SinghPannun alongside another alleged Indian government official in November last year. India has denied any involvement in the alleged assassination attempt on Pannun and launched a high-level investigation into the case.
Gabbard arrived in the national capital early Sunday on a two-and-a-half-day trip in the first high-level visit to India by a top official of the Donald Trump administration.
In a social media post, Singh said he was "happy" to meet the US national intelligence chief and that they discussed ways to further deepen the India-US partnership.
"We discussed a wide range of issues which include defence and information sharing, aiming to further deepen the India-US partnership," he said.
NSA Ajit Doval’s meet with Gabbard
Gabbard's talks with Singh came a day after she met National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and attended a conclave of global intelligence czars in the national capital that was hosted by India.
In their one-on-one meeting, Doval and Gabbard mainly discussed ways to strengthen intelligence sharing and working closely in the security domain in sync with the India-US global strategic partnership, it is learnt. The meeting also focused on security in the Indo-Pacific region, cooperation to counter terror funding and money laundering, and issues related to extradition and immigration, people familiar with the matter said.
Last month, Gabbard met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Washington DC.