Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard arrived in India on Monday for a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
Gabbard and the Indian ministers discussed defense and intelligence issues, including India’s concerns about Sikh separatists.
Modi, who also met with Gabbard in February during his visit to Washington, D.C, gifted the DNI with a vase containing water from Prayagraj, the site of India’s recently-concluded Maha Kumbh religious festival. Gabbard was raised in the Hindu faith and spoke of her appreciation for Hindu philosophy during her visit to India.
“Happy to have met the U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in New Delhi. We discussed a wide range of issues which include defense and information sharing, aimed to further deepen the India-U.S. partnership,” Defense Minister Singh said after his meeting with Gabbard.
India’s NDTV reported that both Singh and Doval “raised the Khalistani terrorist issue” in their conversations with Gabbard, including “specific reference to concerns about anti-India elements operating from American soil.”
The Khalistani movement is a Sikh independence campaign based in Punjab province, whose population is about 60 percent Sikh. In the eyes of adherents, “Khalistan” would be an independent state carved out of Punjab as a “land of the pure.”
The Khalistani movement became militant in the 1980s, and India now regards it as a major terrorist threat with global reach, because there are large Sikh populations harboring Khalistan activists in other countries.
Canada is one such country and, in June 2023, the Khalistan issue became a major global story following the assassination of separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Vancouver temple. Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly accused Modi and his government of killing Nijjar, although he later admitted he had little hard evidence to back up the accusation. A harsh diplomatic feud erupted between India and Canada, and relations between the two nations remain tense to this day.
Based on their public comments, Indian officials appeared satisfied that Gabbard took their security concerns seriously. Doval, the Indian national security adviser, said he had a “good discussion” with Gabbard about mutual security issues.
Another topic of discussion during Gabbard’s visit was President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs. Trump said India, along with other countries that impose tariffs on American exports, could face reciprocal tariff increases on April 2.
Gabbard said New Delhi and Washington are having a “direct dialogue at the very top” on tariffs. The U.S. is India’s largest trading partner.
“What I see as a great positive is that we have two leaders who have common sense and who are looking for good solutions. This direct dialogue is happening at the very top in both of our countries, but also at the different secretaries and the cabinet members is going to be key to lay down what that path forward really looks like,” Gabbard said in an interview with India’s ANI on Monday.
“What I have heard from the Indian government officials that I have spoken to over the last few days, there is an opportunity here to see. There is more potential for strengthening our economic relationship,” she said.
“I am glad to see that they are looking at it in a more positive light than just one that is focused in a negative way, when we look at tariffs,” she added.
Gabbard said both Modi and Trump had valid interests in the tariff debate, and were looking for a “good solution” that would benefit both sides.
“PM Modi is looking out for what is in the best interest of India’s economy and the opportunities available for the people of India. Similarly, President Trump is doing the same for the U.S., our economic interests, and the interests of the American people,” she said.
Gabbard’s interview with ANI became somewhat infamous after the Associated Press (AP) deliberately misquoted her to create a false story that she had described Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin as “very good friends.” Gabbard was actually talking about Trump and Modi, which the AP later admitted after withdrawing its fake story.
“The tone and the relationship with our new administration under President Trump and Prime Minister Modi was set during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the White House. As you know, they are already good friends,” she told ANI.
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