Reports of Happy Passia, proclaimed gangster-turned-terrorist to be extradited to India from the United States has come as a great relief for the Indian security agencies. Passia was arrested in the US recently. He had entered the country through an illegal route via Mexico. He is accused of being behind at least 14 grenade attacks in Punjab, mostly on police stations. His extradition is likely to bring in hope for better security related cooperation between India and the US.
The great expectations that people across India had from the Trump administration were certainly not about trade or offering any red carpet to Indians. These were about the Trump administration sharing the Indian security concerns, particularly related to terror. Two recent instances, Passia’s extradition, which is likely to take place in the coming days, and before that the extradition of Tahawwur Hussain Rana in April, are indeed the right moves towards confidence building measures between the two countries.
For a while there was a lot of disappointment and cynicism when US President Donald Trump appeared to be taking a pro-Pakistan stance, which was followed by a special luncheon meeting with Pakistan military chief Asim Munir. This happened immediately in the aftermath of the India-Pakistan conflict after the Pahalgam terror attack. Being fair to Trump, he or his administration have nowhere given preference to Pakistan over India.
The Trump administration has conveyed very positive signals, at least on the issue of fighting terror. It started with the long-awaited extradition of the 26/11 mastermind, Tahawwur Rana, a Pakistani-origin Canadian citizen, who had managed to avoid being extradited to India till now. Finally, he was extradited to India in April this year, after a long wait of 17 years.
Those jumping the gun to suggest that Donald Trump has re-hyphenated India and Pakistan and has started to treat them on a par will need to be corrected. Trump’s agenda in mollycoddling its military chief became clear very soon when it attacked Iran’s nuclear sites. Trump obviously wanted to take Pakistan, an immediate neighbour of Iran, the country it shares a long land border with, into confidence. That was the obvious reason for the Pakistan military chief being hosted for lunch in the White House.
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His tariff policy apart, and that is the same for everyone across the globe, including long-time allies like the European Union and Canada, Trump administration has quite a few people who are seen to be more friendly towards India. They include US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, FBI Director Kash Patel, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard just to name a few. It is not that they will go out of way to help India, but yes, they do share India’s concerns about security and terrorism.
The Indian security agencies have got a lot of support and cooperation in getting Tahawwur Rana and now, Happy Passia to be extradited to India. This will serve as a strong message for those who, till now, thought that they can find a haven in the US while ordering and orchestrating terror activities in India. They had taken India quite for granted.
It indeed took a lot of time for the West, the United States in particular, to understand and appreciate Indian concerns about religious extremism and terrorism. The 9/11 terror attack on the World Trade Centre and other places in the United States was the defining moment for the world and the US that terrorism, if not curbed and crushed, can hit any country and any nation, no matter how strong and powerful it may be.
It was only after the 9/11 terror attack that the western world realised how serious the threat of terrorism was to the global community. India was among the first victims of terror. Since the terror emanated from and was supported by Pakistan, a strong ally of the US those days in the 1980s and the 1990s, the US ignored and overlooked India’s concerns.
It has taken a lot of time, effort, and circumstances for the US to understand India’s concerns. And these indeed have started to bear the fruits under the Trump administration, which must not be judged merely on its stance on tariff and trade, but also about its approach to terror, which is uncompromising and suits India more than anything else.
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