Hizbul chief first from Kashmir to get US terror tag
:The US designation of Syed Salahuddin, the Pakistanbased chief of Hizbul Mujahideen and United Jihad Council, as a global terrorist is significant for India’s efforts to counter crossborder terror in several ways.
Since the US state department began listing individuals and organisations as “specially designated global terrorists” in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in 2001, Salahuddin is the only terrorist from Jammu and Kashmir to make the infamous list.
And while the US has designated other anti-India groups and individuals – such as LeT, and Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed – it has usually done so only after the groups set up cells in the West or targeted United States’ troops or citizens.
There is no evidence currently of the Hizbul Mujahideen establishing a presence in the West though the state department announcement designating Salahuddin stated that such sanctions are imposed on foreigners who “pose a significant risk of committing acts of terrorism that threaten the security of US nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy” of America.
Firm or loose? Handshakes are often dissected to understand the personal warmth two world leaders exude when they meet.
Premium on optics was bound to be high during the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump on Tuesday. The two leaders—who between them have over 63 million Twitter followers —were meeting for the first time.
And everything seemed fluid till the last moment with Indian sides remaining guarded and leaving it all to their American counterparts to talk up every aspect of the visit.
Three bear hugs, first dinner for a foreign dignitary at White House, a walk-around the residential area of the stately building, Trump calling Modi a “true friend” and Indian Prime Minister returning the compliments in right earnest took care of the optics to a great extent.
When it comes to substance, New Delhi got off to a good start on what it wanted on counter-terror cooperation: singling out Pakistan and joint statement for the first time mentioning cross-border terrorism.
The two sides found growing convergence on Indo-Pacific region which could translate into a strategy to tackle growing Chinese influence in the region. But which way this would get calibrated depends on a slew of factors including what lies ahead for Washington-Beijing ties.
Without mentioning China or its One Road One Belt marquee project , the joint statement said the connectivity projects should ensure “respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
The two sides found their defence and business ties growing though this visit didn’t come up with any definite blue print. The H-1B visa of skilled and climate change continues to be issues that require greater political will and manoeuvring .
The counter-terrorism cooperation and mention of Pakistan are takeaways that would also get Modi traction among the domestic constituency. A head of his meeting with Trump, the PM spoke about surgical strike on Pakistan-based terror camps to show how decisive India can act . The Trunp administration before the talks designated Syed Salahuddin, a political activist turned -militant commander, as a global terrorist. He has been leading Kashmir valley’s largest indigenous militant outfit, the Hizbul Mujahideen and is wanted in India for long.t.
“The leaders called on Pakistan to ensure that its territory is not used to launch terrorist attacks on other countries. They further called on Pakistan to expeditiously bring to justice the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai, Pathankot, and other crossborder terrorist attacks perpetrated by Pakistan-based groups,” the joint statement said.
But what remains to be seen is how far Trump administration will go in nudging Pakistan, still a frontline state of the US, in walking the talk on terrorism.
The Congress on Tuesday dubbed the outcome of PM Narendra Modi’s meeting with US President Donald Trump as “disappointing”, drawing sharp reactions from I&B minister Venkaiah Naidu who retorted that the Opposition party was jealous of its own “lost opportunities” in diplomacy.
“This is borne out of sheer jealousy and guilt as Prime Minister’s every foreign visit holds mirror to the lost opportunities during the ten years of UPA rule,” said Naidu. Slamming the UPAera foreign policy as “lacklustre”, he said, “The growing status of the PM as a global leader and the rising status of India is not digestible to Congress given their lacklustre foreign policy.”
Congress spokesperson and former Union minister Manish Tewari on Tuesday maintained that during the meeting there was “no mention of the H1B visas”, an irritant in Indo-US relations. “There was divergence on the issue of terror. The perception of the US with regard to Islamist terror is very different from the concerns of India about cross-border terrorism. Trump named North Korea in his remarks, but he did not mention Pakistan,” said Tewari.
The senior Congress leader also took a dig at the NDA government for showcasing Modi’s visit to the White House as significant development. “Modi is the 40th head of state or government to get an audience with Trump in the White House . Even those of Montenegro and Egypt beat him to it,” the Congress spokesperson said .
“Nothing has come out of the visit. The joint statement is disappointing,” Tewari said. Adding that President Trump has only “appreciated” the order of an Indian airline to buy 100 airplanes from Boeing which would help in creating jobs in the United States.