US should set up military base in India to tackle Pakistan-based terror groups: Think tank

NEW YORK: The US should discuss with India after its general elections the possibility of basing American military and intelligence operatives in the country to address threats posed by Pakistan-based terror groups in a post- Afghanistan context, a think-tank here has said.

A special report titled 'Reorienting US Pakistan Strategy: From Af-Pak to Asia' by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) also recommends that the US should launch a new diplomatic dialogue with China, India and Pakistan to reduce prospects for regional tension and violence.

"Starting with the national security adviser to the prime minister of India, senior US national security officials should begin to discuss options for significantly expanded counter-terror cooperation with their Indian counterparts, up to and including the possibility of basing US military and/or intelligence operatives in India to address Pakistan-based terrorist threats in a post-Afghanistan context," the report's author, Daniel Markey, who is CFR senior fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia, said.

Markey acknowledged such conversations between Washington and New Delhi would be "politically sensitive" and so should begin only after the next Indian government is elected in the spring.

"If diplomatic discussions make progress, the Pentagon should work with members of the US intelligence community to develop specific implementation plans for on-the-ground operations in India," he said.

The basis for Markey's argument is that while Washington and Islamabad have found common cause in fighting against Pakistan's homegrown Taliban insurgents, Pakistan has been unwilling to tackle threats posed by the Haqqani network or LeT forcing Washington to reconsider the wisdom of remaining heavily dependent on US personnel and facilities now based in Afghanistan.

"Over the long run (and perhaps much sooner if Washington is unable to negotiate a satisfactory bilateral security agreement with Kabul), maintaining a foothold in landlocked Afghanistan as a means to deal with Pakistan-based security threats is likely to be extraordinarily difficult and costly. In light of Pakistan's geographic location, India is the obvious US alternative to Afghanistan," he said.

In recent years, Washington and New Delhi have on their part taken steps to expand their counter-terror cooperation with the intention of building defences against future attacks like the Lashkar-e-Taiba strike on Mumbai in November 2008.

The report said that given persistent terrorist threats and Pakistan's "clear lack of capacity and, in some cases, will" to tackle them, Washington would need to ramp up its efforts in India considerably, including even to the point of establishing military and intelligence facilities on Indian soil.