Rajnath to visit Russia, U.S.

Issue of ‘terror export’ from Pakistan, IS to figure in talks

Home Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Russia and the United States next week to discuss cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and growing activities of Islamic State (IS) in the country and its neighbourhood.

Mr. Singh will visit Russia for five days, beginning September 18. He will have talks with Russian Minister for Internal Affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsev and discuss issues related to Indo-Russia anti-terror cooperation.

The Home Minister will travel to Washington on September 26 for a seven-day visit for the Indo-U.S. Homeland Security Dialogue with his American counterpart, Jeh Charles Johnson.

“In both the bilateral visits to Russia and the US, the Home Minister will highlight Pakistan’s direct involvement in cross border terrorism and growing activities of the Middle East terror group in India and its neighbourhood,” a Home Ministry official said.

Mr. Singh’s visit to the two countries is significant, especially after India raised the pitch on the issue of “terror export” from Pakistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue at the G20, BRICS meet and East Asia Summit, where he called on the international community to isolate and sanction instigators of terrorism.

Mr. Modi urged the nations to intensify joint efforts to combat terrorism and sought “coordinated actions” by the grouping to “isolate supporters and sponsors of terror.”

“The bilateral visits of the Home Minister are part of India’s efforts to create global opinion against Pakistan sponsored terrorism in India,” the official said.

Real-time sharing of intelligence inputs, cyber security and critical infrastructure protection, countering illicit finance, global supply chain security, megacity policing and science and technology are some of the key issues to be discussed at the meetings to be held in Moscow and Washington.