PM Modi meets Tulsi Gabbard hours after India flags concerns on Khalistani terror
The prime minister presented the US intel chief with a vase filled with Ganga water from UP’s Prayagraj, which hosted the Maha Kumbh recently
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (March 17) met Tulsi Gabbard, the US Director of National Intelligence, hours after she had a meeting with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who called for action against Khalistani terror group Sikhs for Justice and its founder Gurpatwant Pannun.
The prime minister presented the US intel chief with a vase filled with Ganga water from Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, which hosted the Maha Kumbh.
This is Gabbard’s second meeting with PM Modi in as many months. The two met in February, when Modi was in Washington DC for a bilateral with President Donald Trump.
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During the last meeting, Modi and Gabbard discussed ways to enhance cooperation to tackle threats like terrorism and cybersecurity, and “set the tone and vision for a stronger India-US partnership”.
Declare SFJ a terrorist entity: Rajnath to US
Earlier, Rajnath conveyed to Gabbard India’s concerns over activities of Khalistani separatist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) on American soil and urged her to declare it as a designated terrorist entity, sources said.
In an over 30-minute meeting at his office in the Raisina Hills, Rajnath also apprised Gabbard about SFJ's alleged links with Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) as well as its “collaboration” with Babbar Khalsa militant group, and pressed for action against it, they said.
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Singh flagged concerns over the SFJ, headed by Pannun, targeting various Hindu religious structures in the US and said such activities must be stopped, the sources said.
The SFJ is a banned organisation in India. Pannun is wanted by Indian probe agencies on various terror charges.
Rajnath and Gabbard also explored ways to boost India-US collaboration in niche defence technologies, information sharing and integration of defence industrial supply chains.