Hopes of cooperation between American and Indian security agencies have increased in order to tackle Khalistani and Naxal terrorists, drug trafficking, economic crimes, etc.
NEW DELHI: You must have heard a famous film song: “Anhoni ko honi kar de, honi ko anhoni”, this song is now being fulfilled by the steps being taken by Modi-Trump duo in world politics. Many announcements feel like a miracle. Could it have been imagined 30 years ago that two Hindus (one of them of Indian origin) would be on the top of the most important intelligence system of the United States? I remember the opportunity I had in September 1987 to meet senior officer Richard Swain and other officers at the FBI office in Washington and understand the working of the investigation agency. In the 1970s and 1980s, not only our government but the media also discussed a lot about the tension between the two countries. Still, there was scope for Indian investigation agencies to learn something from the working of the FBI.
The interesting thing was that from then till now the head of the FBI accepts that crimes are constantly increasing in America. The second interesting thing is that on 27 October 1999, when we published a report by our young colleague Pushpranjan in “Dainik Hindustan” about the efforts of the FBI to open a small office in Delhi, the American embassy sent me, the editor, a letter of denial. We had confirmed this information from Indian sources, so we considered the letter as a mere formality and did not publish the denial. Even at that time the FBI had appointed 139 people of Indian origin as agents at various lower positions in the organization. But soon the situation changed. In 2001, after the 9/11 terrorist attack, the US was forced to seek more cooperation from India, so the information about the appointment of two senior FBI officers in New Delhi was formally made public. The then Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh gave a detailed description of this in Parliament in December 2001. Meaning the doors of relations opened. However, even now the Indian government understands the danger of anti-India activities from the CIA and the deep state.
Now, 25 years later, not only Kash Patel as head of FBI, even Tulsi Gabbard has been appointed as Director of National Intelligence.
US military officer and former Democratic representative from Hawaii, Tulsi Gabbard is the first Hindu to assume this responsibility. In fact Gabbard is the first Hindu leader in the US Congress. She woll now oversee 18 intelligence agencies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Tulsi Gabbard during his recent visit to the US. During his meeting, PM Modi recalled his previous conversation with Gabbard and congratulated her on her new role. He shared pictures of this meeting on X and wrote, “Met Tulsi Gabbard, USA’s National Intelligence Director in Washington DC. Congratulated her on her confirmation. Discussed various aspects of India-USA friendship, which she has always been a strong supporter.” Their discussion focused on strengthening bilateral intelligence cooperation, particularly in combating terrorism, cyber security, emerging threats and sharing strategic intelligence. They also exchanged views on regional and global developments and reaffirmed their commitment to a secure, stable and rules-based international order.
Similarly, Kash Patel has become the first Indian-American FBI director. The White House has said that the confirmation of Kash Patel is an important step in implementing President Trump’s agenda to restore integrity and maintain the rule of law. The FBI will serve the American people and refocus on its core mission. Kash Patel is considered a loyal supporter of Trump and also played an important role in his first term. Patel has actively advocated for the elimination of the mechanism described as the “deep state” within the US government. He sees to be a favourite with President Trump.
Kash Patel was born in New York to a Gujarati immigrant family who had migrated from East Africa to Queens, New York in 1980. His parents lived in Uganda. Patel has also served as a senior counsel. He touched the feet of his parents before his confirmation hearing, which is a traditional sign of respect in Hindu culture. He also greeted his parents by saying “Jai Shri Krishna” after introducing them before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The FBI is actually an investigative agency under the US Department of Justice, which works both as a federal criminal investigation body and an internal intelligence agency. The FBI has the authority to investigate more than 200 categories of federal crime. Its first priority is to protect America from terrorist attacks. It is said that the FBI, along with its partners, neutralizes terrorist groups in America and helps in dismantling the network of radicals globally. Apart from this, it tries to end the funding and other support received by terrorist organizations. It protects the country’s economy and common people from cybercrime. The FBI creates a cyber strategy that can deal with cyber risks. Through this, it curbs those who break into the American network and prevents theft of economic and intellectual property. To do this, the FBI uses different authorities, capabilities and partnerships. The FBI works as a leading agency to investigate cyber attacks. It gathers intelligence and shares it with allies. It works with victims to expose people involved in illegal cyber activities. Recently, with its help, Indian agencies arrested 32 people belonging to a big cyber crime gang in Gurugram.
The FBI is also responsible for exposing, preventing and investigating espionage activities in America. In modern times, most espionage activities are based on data theft. Computer networks are used for this. It provides security to the country’s advanced technology and sensitive information related to defence, intelligence, economy, public health, science and technology. It controls the activities of foreign spies. It prevents weapons of mass destruction from falling in the wrong hands. Due to economic espionage, the US economy has to suffer losses of hundreds of billions of dollars every year
Against this backdrop, hopes of cooperation between American and Indian security agencies have increased in order to tackle Khalistani and Naxal terrorists, drug trafficking and economic crimes, political disturbances, and to curb those who spread anarchy in the guise of NGOs or in the guise of media.
India has also requested the FBI to share information about suspicious persons who have been found involved in separatist activities in recent years. Meanwhile, the Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk in the Trump administration has revealed that $21 million was funded from USAID to increase voter turnout in India’s elections. A statement by President Donald Trump has further intensified this controversy. Trump said that $21 million was given from this funding to make someone else win the election in India. Now on this claim, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have seen the information released by the US administration, which is extremely worrying. This has raised serious concerns about foreign interference in India’s internal affairs and the matter is being investigated.”