Gabbard’s India visit reinforces US-India ties: US official

Gabbard, the first high-ranking official from the Trump administration was on a two-day visit to India. She held separate meetings with Prime Minister Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

“In India, DNI Gabbard held several bilateral engagements, including with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” the spokesperson said. “Gabbard’s meetings in India focused on intelligence-sharing, defence, counterterrorism, and transnational threats,” the spokesperson added.

Focus on global peace and security

During her visit, Gabbard also delivered a speech at the Raisina Dialogue, a multilateral conference held annually in New Delhi, outlining President Trump’s strategy for global peace. “President Trump remains unwavering in his commitment to achieving peace through a strategy rooted in realism and pragmatism,” she said.

“Securing peace through strength requires strong leadership with a clear-eyed and realistic understanding of global challenges and opportunities, a commitment to fostering cultural and economic ties that reduce the likelihood of an escalation to conflict, and a dedication to reinforcing mutual interests,” she added.

In the discussions with Gabbard, Rajnath Singh raised concerns over the activities of the Khalistani separatist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) in the US and urges her to designate it as a terrorist entity, according to Indian government sources. Singh also briefed her on SFJ’s alleged links with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and its reported ties to the Babbar Khalsa militant group, pressing for action against it.

Trump: ‘I have a very good relationship with India, but…’

Gabbard’s visit comes as the US and India continue to deepen their strategic partnership. India had said it was looking at deepening trade ties with the US, including by reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers, under a bilateral trade agreement.

In the past, Trump has called India a “tariff king” and a “big abuser”. During Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the US last month, both sides announced plans to negotiate a mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).

Trump also said that India will face reciprocal tariffs on April 2, a move likely to hurt India’s exports of agricultural and pharmaceutical goods. “I have a very good relationship with India, but the only problem I have with India is that they are one of the highest tariffing nations in the world. I believe they are probably going to be lowering those tariffs substantially, but on April 2, we will be charging them the same tariffs they charge us,” Trump said in an interview with US-based Breitbart News.

A Goldman Sachs report suggested that India could be affected by Trump’s tariffs at the national level, the product level, or through non-tariff barriers, all of which could complicate trade relations between the two nations.

(With inputs from PTI)