At one of the highest level meetings between India and the United States, it was decided to have mutual cooperation in tackling terror and other security issues. The meeting held in Delhi was attended by Indian delegation led by the Union Home Minister, P. Chidambaram and the US Secretary for Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano.

The two sides issued a joint statement, affirming the strategic importance of cooperation for the security of the two countries and their people, based on their shared values of democracy, pluralism and openness; the threat of terrorism and other challenges, including cyber security, counterfeit currency, illicit financing and transnational crimes; and the deepening technological and economic partnership between the two.

The leaders expressed satisfaction with the growth in counter-terrorism and related security cooperation, particularly the mechanisms such as the Joint Working Group on Counter-terrorism, established in 2000, the Defence Policy Group, the Joint Working Group on Information and Communications Technology and the Aviation Security Working Group and the Counterterrorism Cooperation Initiative of July 2010 in advancing India-US cooperation.

Pressure on Pakistan

The leaders discussed their cooperation in the investigations into the Mumbai terror attack in November 2008 and reiterated their governments’ commitment to bring the perpetrators and the supporters of the Mumbai attack to justice. As Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and President Barack Obama stated in November 2010, the Minister and Secretary called on Pakistan to move expeditiously in prosecuting those involved in the Mumbai terror attack. The two sides committed their governments to comprehensive sharing of information relating to the Mumbai attack. The leaders reaffirmed their governments’ resolve to defeating the forces of terrorism and called for effective steps by all countries to eliminate safe havens and infrastructure for terrorism.

Chidambaram said, “It is a truism to say that India lives in perhaps the most difficult neighbourhood in the world. The global epicentre of terrorism is in our immediate western neighbourhood. The vast infrastructure of terrorism in Pakistan has for long flourished as an instrument of state policy. Today, different terrorist groups, operating from the safe havens in Pakistan, are becoming increasingly fused; the society in Pakistan has become increasingly radicalised; its economy has weakened; and, the state structure in Pakistan has become fragile. Today, Pakistan itself faces a major threat from the same forces. Its people as well as its state institutions are under attack.”

The two delegations decided to strengthen agency-to-agency engagement, including in the areas of intelligence exchange, information sharing, forensics and investigation, access and sharing of data relating to terrorism, security of infrastructure, transportation and trade, conducting joint needs assessments, combating counterfeit currency, countering illicit financing and transnational crime. They agreed that the two sides shall designate points of contact and establish protocols for engagement.

They decided to foster capacity building in areas including counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics, counterfeit currency, illicit financing and transnational crime, security of infrastructure, transportation and trade, coastal security and large city policing. They agreed on the need for appropriate government agencies to work together and share best practices to enhance the security and resilience of the global supply chain.

They affirmed the importance of increased dialogue and cooperation in the area of cyber security. They welcomed the decision of the two governments to negotiate a MoU between CERT-IN and US-CERT, the designated agencies for information exchange. They also decided to cooperate in capacity building and to work together, and with other countries, to advance cyber security standards.

The two sides agreed on a calendar of events, collaborative activities and initiatives to be implemented over the next 12 months. They also decided that the Home Secretary of India and the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security should meet at the end of six months to review progress in their collaboration. They also committed to hold the homeland security dialogue annually to set strategic directions for continued cooperation in homeland security.