Friday, 25 April 2025
Friday, 25 April 2025
The United States and President Trump are concerned about the situation in Bangladesh because of the longtime persecution of religious minorities in the country, said US director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in an interview.
Speaking to the NDTV, Gabbard said, “The longtime unfortunate persecution, killing, and abuse of religious minorities like Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and others has been a major area of concern for the US and President Trump.”
Gabbard arrived in the national capital Sunday on a two-and-a-half-day trip in the first high-level visit to India by a top official of the Donald Trump administration.
Gabbard also met defence minister Rajnath Singh Monday and discussed India-US strategic ties, especially in areas of defence and information sharing, reported the PTI.
In a social media post, Singh said he was "happy" to meet the US national intelligence chief and that they discussed ways to further deepen the India-US partnership.
"We discussed a wide range of issues which include defence and information sharing, aiming to further deepen the India-US partnership," he said.
Gabbard's talks with Singh came a day after she met national security advisor Ajit Doval and attended a conclave of global intelligence czars in the national capital that was hosted by India.
Doval and Gabbard discussed ways to strengthen intelligence sharing and working closely in the security domain in sync with the India-US global strategic partnership, per reports.
The meeting also focused on security in the Indo-Pacific region, cooperation to counter terror funding and money laundering, and issues related to extradition and immigration.
India has also raised concerns about anti-India elements operating from foreign soil, including pro-Khalistan elements.
In her interview with NDTV, Gabbard slammed Joe Biden for making no effort to try to end Russia’s war on Ukraine. "There was no effort at peace or (to have a) direct dialogue with Putin," she said.
Gabbard also spoke about the Houthi threat in the Red Sea region, acknowledging the Iran-backed military group had been attacking the key shipping route for "a very long time" and again criticising the Biden administration for, again, having made "no serious effort to stop it".
She also underlined India and the US' common goal in this aspect, stating, "Our country and another (referring to India) should not be in a position to re-route commerce just because of the Houthi threat."
Gabbard is scheduled to speak at the Raisina Dialogue on March 18, a premier global forum on geopolitics and security. Her address will mark the conclusion of her Asia tour, which also included visits to Japan and Thailand.
Last month, Gabbard met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Washington DC.
With inputs from agencies
