US Delegation to Visit India for Homeland Security Dialogue
Defense Newws ,India ,U.S :- A team from the United States is visiting India on February 28 for the Homeland Security Dialogue with officials from the Union Home Ministry. This meeting is crucial as it marks the first official interaction between the US government delegation and the Central government in two years.
The dialogue gains significance due to recent allegations by US federal prosecutors involving an Indian citizen and an unnamed Indian official in a thwarted plot to assassinate Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on US soil.
The Homeland Security Dialogue will be attended by high-ranking officials from both nations. Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla will lead the Indian delegation, while Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Kristie Canegallo will lead the US government delegation.
Agenda of India-US Homeland Security Dialogue:
India has outlined various issues for discussion in the Homeland Security Dialogue with the US, including:
- Misuse of asylum status by criminals
- Activities of pro-Khalistani elements in India
- Support to apprehend the attacker of the Indian Consulate in San Francisco
- Extradition status of Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana
- - Investigations into terror fugitives and terror financing
India is expected to share a list of over 100 fugitives wanted by law enforcement agencies who have sought refuge in the US. The two nations will also discuss collaboration on counterterrorism, cybersecurity, illegal mobility, aviation security, global supply chains, and maritime security.
Digital Space Exploited by Terrorists:
India will address the exploitation of digital space by terrorist groups for spreading radical views, recruitment, and funding terrorism during the Homeland Security Dialogue.
The Indian side will share information about drug seizures by the Narcotics Control Bureau, seeking cooperation from the US Drug Enforcement Administration. The recent seizure of drugs worth Rs 75 crore was made possible with inputs from the US DEA.
Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure:
India will highlight cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, including banks, railways, power and energy, and hospitals. Non-state actors from countries like China, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Myanmar have targeted India's critical infrastructure in the past.
Cryptocurrency and Emerging Threats:
Discussions will also cover the use of cryptocurrency for illegal activities on the dark web, new forms of terrorism, violent extremism, and the use of unmanned aerial systems for terrorist acts.
Representatives from Indian agencies, including the Narcotics Bureau, National Investigation Agency, Central Bureau of Investigation, and Internal Security, will participate in the Homeland Security Dialogue.
US Priorities in the Dialogue:
The US delegation will focus on anti-Khalistani elements, immigration, counter-narcotics, border and supply chain security, law enforcement cooperation, engagement with local and state law enforcement, child sexual exploitation, human trafficking, trade and economic security, cybersecurity, and a proposal for an electronic travel document.
The last Homeland Security Dialogue between India and the US took place in January 2022. The dialogue, initiated in 2010, serves as a follow-up to the India-US Counterterrorism Initiative signed in 2011. Last year, the Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Dinkar Gupta, discussed various issues with FBI Director Christopher Wray, including investigations into the attack on the Indian consulate in San Francisco by pro-Khalistan elements and the growing nexus between terrorist outfits and organized criminal syndicates.
