New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Monday during her first visit to India as a senior Trump administration official, with discussions focused on security issues, including terrorism and maritime cooperation.
Gabbard arrived in India on Sunday as part of a multi-nation tour of Asia, following visits to Japan and Thailand. She is scheduled to deliver a speech at the Raisina Dialogue on Tuesday.
In a post on X about their meeting, Modi’s official account stated that they had “exchanged views on further advancing the India-U.S. Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.”
“Both countries are committed to combating terrorism and enhancing maritime and cyber security cooperation,” he wrote.
No further details of their discussions were disclosed by either side.
Glad to welcome @TulsiGabbard to India. Exchanged views on further advancing the India-U.S. Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. Both countries are committed to combating terrorism and enhancing maritime and cyber security cooperation.@DNIGabbard pic.twitter.com/kAg7efPv6n
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 17, 2025
According to PTI, citing sources, Gabbard was informed during a separate meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh earlier on Monday that India wants the US to designate the Khalistani separatist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) as a terrorist entity.
Singh reportedly told Gabbard that SFJ has links to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and is associated with the banned Babbar Khalsa group. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval also raised the issue of Khalistani terrorism in his meeting with Gabbard on Sunday, NDTV reported.
There was no official word on Gabbard’s response to India’s request.
Last year, US prosecutors unsealed an indictment accusing former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer Vikash Yadav of plotting to assassinate Khalistani activist and SFJ Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York. The case first surfaced in October 2023 when Indian national Nikhil Gupta was charged with attempting to hire a hitman on the instructions of an unnamed Indian government official.
Ahead of Modi’s visit to Washington last month, a senior White House official reiterated that “the safety of every American” remained the administration’s priority when asked whether the Pannun case was still on the bilateral radar.
During her visit, Gabbard gave two media interviews but did not appear to comment on the Pannun case or face direct questions about it.
However, she spoke about broader counterterrorism efforts, stating that both India and the US were committed to defeating Islamist terrorism.
In an interview with ANI, she was asked how the Trump administration viewed repeated terror attacks on India from Pakistan. She responded, “President Trump, through his first administration and continuing now, has been very clear about his commitment to defeating this threat of Islamist terrorism that has unfortunately plagued us and continues to pose a direct threat to the American people.”
Notably, in his first speech to Congress earlier this month, Trump had praised Pakistan for capturing and extraditing an Islamic State militant linked to the killing of 13 US soldiers during the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal. In the same speech, he criticised several countries, including India, for imposing high tariffs on US imports.
In an interview with NDTV, Gabbard also expressed US concerns over the situation in Bangladesh.
“The longstanding persecution, killing, and abuse of religious minorities like Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and others has been a major area of concern for the US and President Trump,” she said.
She added that the Trump administration had begun discussions with Bangladesh’s interim government. “The talks are just beginning between President Trump’s new cabinet and the Government of Bangladesh, but this continues to remain a central focus area of concern,” she said, referring to the rise of Islamist extremism and terrorist activity in the country.
