US, India push deeper counterterrorism ties amid Pakistan concerns

Washington, Dec 11 (IANS) The United States and India are intensifying cooperation on counterterrorism and intelligence-sharing, senior experts told lawmakers.

During the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on South and Central Asia hearing on the US–India strategic partnership here on Wednesday (local time), eminent American experts on South Asia warned that Pakistan's continued use of militant proxies and China's expanding footprint in the region demand deeper alignment between Washington and New Delhi.

Sameer Lalwani of the German Marshall Fund told members that counterterrorism coordination between the two countries "goes back since the Mumbai attacks in 2008" and today encompasses "law enforcement, intelligence sharing… counterterrorism (and) counterterror financing."

He cited India's close cooperation with the United States at the Financial Action Task Force and the role of the Combined Maritime Force, which he said is undertaking "a lot of interdiction of illicit… trafficking, shipping arms, drugs and financing, all that sort of finance terrorism."

Lalwani said India's capabilities are advancing rapidly, with new "space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance" assets and "AI tools and applications for better data fusion" that will allow both countries to "more rapidly address threats". As these systems evolve, he said, "We'll start to see more effective deterrence and counterterrorism operations."

Committee Chairman Bill Huizenga highlighted the momentum in bilateral engagement, noting that the United States and India hosted the 21st Joint Working Group on Counterterrorism this week, where officials discussed "emerging threats, terror recruitment and financing". He said the dialogue reflects "significant opportunities" to expand operational, intelligence, and policy coordination.

But alongside optimism, the testimony featured pointed warnings -- especially about Pakistan.

Dhruva Jaishankar from ORF America told lawmakers that Pakistan has a "long and well-documented history of using non-state terrorist proxies against India". He stressed that India's experience has shown that "third-party mediation has often contributed to Pakistan's adventurism", a reference to past crises where US involvement, however well-intentioned, unintentionally emboldened Pakistani military planners.

Jeff Smith of the Heritage Foundation also underscored Pakistan's centrality to India's security calculus.

Quoting former President Trump's earlier criticism of Islamabad, he reminded members: "The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid over the last 15 years. And they have given us nothing but lies and deceit… They have given safe haven to the terrorists we hunt… with little help. No more."

Smith added that "a great deal of that terrorism has emanated from Pakistan," arguing that Washington and New Delhi "need to do more… to convince the Pakistani military to stop using terrorist groups as assets of their foreign policy."

Lawmakers noted that the recent attack in Kashmir -- also mentioned during testimony as having been carried out by "gunmen from a well-known Pakistani terrorist group" -- has heightened Indian concerns.

Smith recounted that after the attack, India launched strikes on terrorist training camps, leading to an exchange involving "missiles, artillery and drones". He repeated what US President Donald Trump has been claiming, that the US intervened diplomatically to establish a ceasefire.

However, New Delhi has maintained that Pakistan had urged India for a ceasefire agreement, and the decision was bilateral without any third-party involvement.

Witnesses said the evolving threat landscape now requires fusing counterterrorism with a wider Indo-Pacific strategy. Lalwani noted that India's growing maritime capabilities -- including contributions to standing missions in the Indian Ocean -- support broader deterrence goals, adding that cooperation in "anti-submarine warfare, things like that… is also happening with the Quad."

Jaishankar emphasised that India's approach is increasingly regional. He said India is now "providing military equipment to countries, including the Philippines", listing "anti-ship cruise missiles" among recent transfers, reflecting a broader effort to counter coercive actors and strengthen security partnerships.

Experts, during the testimony, made clear that counterterrorism remains one of the strongest pillars of the US–India relationship. Huizenga said maintaining momentum in intelligence cooperation and operational coordination is essential at a moment when adversaries "are redrawing borders by force" and testing democratic partnerships across South Asia.