Mulford wanted US to learn from India's counter-terror efforts

Lalit K Jha
Washington, Dec 17 (PTI) Given India's successful
handling of "asymmetrical" terrorist and insurgent movements
like those in Punjab and Kashmir, the then US ambassador to
India David Mulford had advised the Bush administration to
learn and gain from New Delhi's counter-terrorism experiences,
according to a secret memo made public by WikiLeaks.
"Using every opportunity available to signal our interest
in learning from India -- which has successfully tackled
'asymmetrical' insurgencies in Punjab and Kashmir -- will go a
long way to reduce this distrust and may prompt Indian
officials to be more receptive to our offers of support,"
Mulford wrote in the secret embassy cable dated February 23,
2007.
"There is much India could offer us of value to
strengthen our counter-terrorism efforts. For instance, they
can give us more information about the nature of the terrorist
threat in India and South Asia, and help us develop new
strategies for defeating terrorists derived from India's
experience in Kashmir," he said in the cable addressed to
Frank Urbancic, the then Acting-coordinator for
Counter-terrorism.
They also may have information about Bangladeshi,
Nepalese, Sri Lankan and Pakistani terrorists that they could
share the Ambassador wrote in his secret memo.
The United States, which has accused the whistle-blower
website WikiLeaks, of stealing its secret cables, has however,
refused to either deny or confirm the authenticity of these
cables.
Urbanic's visit to New Delhi took place a little over
a week after the bombing of the Samjauta Express train between
New Delhi and Lahore.
At the same time, the Ambassador noted about the lack of
cooperation between India and the US on counter-terrorism
issues and how New Delhi remained genuinely concerned about
Pakistan's continued support to terrorist groups.
"India's lingering zero-sum suspicion of US policies
towards Pakistan, its fiercely independent foreign policy
stance, its traditional go-it-alone strategy toward its
security and its domestic political sensitivities over the
sentiments of its large Muslim population, have all
contributed to India's caution in working with us on a joint
counter-terrorism strategy," according to the cable.
While India has been very keen to receive information and
technology from the US to further its counter-terrorism
efforts, it provides "little in return, despite our belief
that the country should be an equal partner in this
relationship," it said.
"India frequently rebuffs our offers of support for
their police investigations of terrorist attacks and our
offers of training and support are often met with a stalled
logistical pace," the cable said. (More) PTI