Chidambaram calls for strategic Indo-US partnership to counter terrorism |
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New Delhi, May 27 ANI: Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Friday said strong and effective India-US cooperation in counter-terrorism is indispensable for strategic partnership between the two nations. Addressing the India-US Homeland Security Dialogue here, Chidambaram said: "There has always been great public and political expectation about India-US cooperation on counter-terrorism. This is because of our shared values, the growth of strategic partnership between, US expertise and capabilities, and the perception in India that the United States exercises a strong influence on the country that is the hub of global terror." "India and the United States established a Joint Working Group on Counter-terrorism as early as February 2000. Both countries also signed a Counter-terrorism Cooperation Initiative in July 2010. There are other institutional mechanisms, such as the Working Group on Aviation Security, Working Group on Information and Communication Technology and the Defence Policy Group, which provide avenues for our cooperation," he added. He said India's membership of Financial Action Task Force FATF has strengthened the ability of India and US to work with each other on the financial aspects of terrorism. Appreciating the US efforts to bring to justice the perpetrators of Mumbai terror attack, and others associated with it, Chidambaram said: "Certainly, US political support and operational cooperation during and after the Mumbai attack meant a great deal to the people of India. "Even as we meet, the trial of Tahawwur Rana is taking place in Chicago. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Obama, during their November 2008 meeting, called for Pakistan to bring to justice the perpetrators of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks", he added. He further said both India and US - indeed, the global community - must also deal with a range of other challenges, including counterfeit currency, narcotics trafficking, threats and risks in the cyber space. He said it is a truism to say that India lives in perhaps the most difficult neighbourhood in the world. The global epicenter of terrorism is in our immediate western neighbourhood. "The vast infrastructure of terrorism in Pakistan has for long flourished as an instrument of state policy. Today, different terrorist groups, operating from the safe havens in Pakistan, are becoming increasingly fused; the society in Pakistan has become increasingly radicalized; its economy has weakened; and, the state structure in Pakistan has become fragile," he added. He further said terrorist infiltration or fake currency inflow does not only take place through our western border, but is often routed through countries that we share open borders with. "We also have to deal with the challenge of large scale migrations from across our borders. Insurgent groups have some times found refuge in our neighbouring countries. Internal instability in our neighbouring countries has a direct bearing on the population in our border states," he added. ANI Posted by aniin on Saturday May 28 reply Comments |
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