Global terrorist tag to put Pak in a spot
: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.
Unlike other Pakistan-based Indian citizens who have been listed by the US state department or treasury department, such as mob boss Dawood Ibrahim, Islamabad has never denied the presence of Salahuddin on its soil.
Salahuddin openly operates from PoK, Islamabad and Rawalpindi, the garrison city where the Hizbul Mujahideen has held recruitment drives and fundraising rallies at a short distance from the Pakistani military’s General Headquarters.
And while the US has designated other anti-India groups and individuals – such as Lashkar-eTaiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed – it has usually done so only after the groups set up cells in the West, established links with al-Qaeda or targeted US troops or citizens in terror attacks.
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.
Though the 71-year-old Salahuddin is no longer seen as directly controlling the day-today operations of the Hizbul Mujahideen, he remains a key ideological leader .
Pakistan has responded to the US designation of Salahuddin by linking it to the movement of Kashmiri people for the right to self-determination. A statement from the Foreign Office, which didn’t name Salahuddin, described the movement as “legitimate” and the US sanctions as “completely unjustified”.But with the US position on terrorism in the region aligning more closely with that of India, it may be difficult for the Pakistan to resist pressure to crack down on terrorists such as Salahuddin.
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 PM 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, Trump calling Modi a “true friend” and Indian PM returning in 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