WASHINGTON: America's intelligence community has told the nation's lawmakers that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "decisive leadership style", combined with the absolute majority he enjoys in Parliament will lead him to seek closer ties with the US on security, terrorism and economic issues despite New Delhi's long standing position that it will maintain an independent policy.In a statement before a US Senate panel, intelligence chief James Clapper also certified that "India wants to maintain a stable peace with Pakistan" but views Pakistan as a direct terrorism threat and a regional source of instability.
"India is concerned about the stability of Afghanistan and its own presence there following the drawdown of international forces and is looking to blunt the influence of Pakistan-supported groups and ensure that Afghanistan does not revert to a haven for anti-Indian militants," Clapper told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Clapper's remarks came even as Pakistan's intelligence chief Rizwan Akhtar held meetings in Washington this week to press for a greater role in Afghanistan, while reportedly complaining that India is trying to destabilize Pakistan.
Citing unnamed sources, the Pakistani newspaper Jang said the "Nato pullout from Afghanistan has seriously upset India which had invested a hefty amount to gain foothold in Afghanistan in order to destabilize Pakistan." It said Rizwan complained to the Americans that the "Indian nexus with Afghanistan based TTP against Pakistan has furthered and there are reports of Indian support to series of recent terrorist acts in Pakistan".
The Pakistani charges are clearly not taken seriously in Washington. Aside from Clapper's endorsement of India's peace moves, US analysts are now coming to the con clusion that Pakistani action against terror groups, even after the Peshawar army school massacre, are selective, and excludes its proxies such as Lashkar-e-Toiba.
In an obvious reference to Pakistani complaints about the firm Indian posture (seen as aggressive by Pakistan) to Pakistani infractions, US analysts are telling lawmakers that Washington cannot reassure Pakistan against any Indian threat if Pakistan fails to commit itself towards working against anti-India terrorist groups operating within its territory.
"If Pakistan can't commit itself to working against the terrorists that have operated in India, then there's not much we can do to reassure them, there's probably not much we should do to reassure them, because that really is a problem," Carnegie Endowment's George Perkovitch said at a Congressional hearing on Wednesday .
In remarks that were later echoed by intelligence chief Clapper, Perkovich said the good news is India has no desires for any Pakistani territory or anything in Pakistan."So 'threat' from India is only in response to Pakistani aggression in India or terrorism in India," he said.
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