The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Saturday said the government should come clean on the overt and covert military relations it shared with the United States.
The party was reacting to reports that Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral Robert Willard, told a Congressional hearing that American special forces assist teams were stationed in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
In a statement, the Polit Bureau said while both the External Affairs and Defence Ministries have refuted the reports, the denial only raised further questions.
It said the statement made by Admiral Willard was categorical: “We have currently special forces assist teams — Pacific assist teams is the term — laid down in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, as well as India.”
India falls within the purview of the Pacific Command within the U.S. military command.
“There is no clarification from the U.S. side that this statement is incorrect,” the CPI(M) said. The UPA government has not informed the country about the other arrangements which it has entered into with the United States.
Admiral Willard has said: “We are working very closely with India with regard to their counter-terrorism capabilities and in particular on the maritime domain, but also government to government, not necessarily DOD (Department of Defence) but other agencies assisting them in terms of their internal counter-terror and counter-insurgency challenges.”
