On Wednesday, S. Jaishankar, the External Affairs Minister (EAM), met with Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, and Kash Patel, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, two of the top US intelligence officials.
He wrote that he had a “good exchange on the global situation and our bilateral cooperation” on the social media site X after meeting Gabbard.
EAM Jaishankar tweeted that they “appreciate our strong cooperation in countering organised crime, drug trafficking, and terrorism” and that it was a pleasure to meet Patel.
Hawaii native and former Congressman Gabbard is a devout Hindu, while Patel is also of Indian heritage and a devout Hindu.
With terrorists’ sympathizers based in Canada, counterterrorism is a significant issue for India and an area where the US and other countries should work together.
The two nations joined the India-US Counter Terrorism Initiative in 2010 in response to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.
The US-India Counterterrorism Designations Dialogue and the India-US Working Group on Counterterrorism also seek to identify terrorists and associated people and organizations.
Under President Donald Trump, combating drug smuggling is one of the US’s main priorities.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared a crackdown on a global drug-smuggling organization located in India with ties to the US prior to EAM Jaishankar’s meetings with US officials.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration (USDEA) arrested a major figure in a global drug trafficking network as a result of intelligence cooperation by India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), according to the Press Information Bureau.
“Joel Hall, a major re-shipper based in Alabama, was arrested following a coordinated operation, leading to the seizure of more than 17,000 tablets of controlled medication,” the FBI stated.
According to the statement, an Indian-American who served as the network’s primary money launderer is pending indictment.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya met with EAM Jaishankar as part of a quad ministerial meeting.
He is meeting with high-ranking US officials to talk about matters that are significant to both nations.
Rubio, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright were among the other officials he met with in bilateral settings.
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