EAM Jaishankar meets heads of US FBI, National Intelligence

Washington: External Affairs Minister (EAM), S. Jaishankar, met with two of the top US Intelligence officials, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Kash Patel, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, on Wednesday.

After meeting Gabbard, he posted on Social media platform X that he had a “good exchange on the global situation and our bilateral cooperation”.

Taking to X, EAM Jaishankar said it was great to meet Patel and they “appreciate our strong cooperation in countering organised crime, drug trafficking and terrorism”.

Gabbard, who is from Hawaii and a former member of Congress, is a Hindu by faith, while Patel, also a Hindu, is of Indian descent.

Counterterrorism is a major issue for India with scope for cooperation with the US across the world and North America, where supporters of terrorism are based in Canada.

Following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, the two countries signed the India-US Counter Terrorism Initiative in 2010.

There are also an India-US Working Group on Counterterrorism and US-India Counterterrorism Designations Dialogue which works to identify terrorists and linked individuals and organisations.

For the US, fighting drug-smuggling is among the top issues under President Donald Trump.

Before EAM Jaishankar’s meetings with the US officials, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced a crackdown on a transnational drug-smuggling operation based in India with tentacles stretching to the US.

According to the Press Information Bureau, Intelligence sharing by India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) led to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (USDEA) arresting a key player in an international drug trafficking network.

“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 bureau said.

An Indian-American, who was the network’s key money launderer, is awaiting indictment, it said.

EAM Jaishankar came here to participate in the Quad Ministerial meeting, on Tuesday, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Foreign Ministers Penny Wong of Australia and Takeshi Iwaya of Japan.

He is meeting key US officials to discuss issues of importance to the two countries.

Other officials he met in bilateral settings were Rubio, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

–IANS