At a meeting with the senior visiting Trump administration official, Singh raised the issue of extremist groups like Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) operating across different countries, having deep links with proscribed organisations like Babbar Khalsa.
Sources said the minister told Gabbard that the group also has links with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and has been regularly issuing death threats, including to Indian diplomats posted abroad. He pointed out that SFJ has already been designated as a terror organisation by India.
Officials said Singh held a productive meeting with Gabbard and the discussions reaffirmed the growing strength of the India-US bilateral defence partnership. “Both leaders emphasised that strategic security remains a vital pillar of the comprehensive global strategic cooperation between the two nations,” they said.
The two leaders explored avenues for collaboration in cutting-edge defence innovation and niche technologies, taking forward discussions with the Trump administration for technology sharing and joint development. They also held discussions on enhancing interoperability and fostering greater integration of defence industrial supply chains to bolster resilience and innovation. India has been pitching itself as a reliable partner for the US’s enormous defence industrial supply chain, with several companies undertaking significant work for companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
Singh and Gabbard “reviewed the significant strides made in the areas of military exercise, strategic cooperation, integration of defence industrial supply chains and information-sharing cooperation”, with a ‘special focus on the maritime domain’.
