Gabbard's India visit: New Delhi called for action against anti-India elements in US

India on Friday said it conveyed to US Director of Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard its expectation of action against certain "secessionist elements" carrying out anti-India activities from the American soil. Gabbard paid a two-and-a-half-day trip to India this week in the first high-level visit to the country by a top official of the Donald Trump administration.

The US Director of Intelligence held separate meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval.

"During her meetings with her interlocutors in India, on our side we conveyed our concerns regarding anti-India elements, anti-India activities of secessionist elements... and it is our expectation that the US side will take appropriate action in this regard," external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing.


Jaiswal's comments came when asked about reports that Defence Minister Singh 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.

The defence minister also apprised the US official 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, authoritative sources had after the Singh-Gabbard meeting.

Separately, a spokesperson at the office of Director of National Intelligence (DNI) said on Thursday that Gabbard's meetings in India focused on bilateral cooperation in areas of intelligence-sharing, defence, counter-terrorism, and transnational threats.

Her visit to New Delhi highlighted the decades strong US-India relationship that is bolstered by the leadership of and friendship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump, the DNI spokesperson said.

"DNI Gabbard's meetings in India focused on intelligence-sharing, defense, counterterrorism, and transnational threats," the official added.