Sharing Pak-India Intelligence on Extremists

Upon US prodding, India and Pakistan have shown signs of willingness for sharing intelligence information regarding extremism.

Up on US incitement, Pakistan and India will share intelligence information on extremists in the region, reported The Wall Street Journal on Thursday. The ice-breaking move toward cooperation is anticipated by the US after the victor of Indian Congress in the recent elections over the BJP, which is thought to be politically more hostile toward Pakistan.

Ernest Dempsey

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According to the newspaper, the CIA brought New Delhi and Islamabad together for sharing intelligence on Lashkar-e-Taiba, the extremist group that is thought to be responsible for the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai. The US officials think that quelling India’s hostility toward Pakistan can help Islamabad focus better on internal threats. There is hope that the intelligence agencies of the two countries will exchange information for the safety of both lands, without the bridge of CIA, perceiving extremism as a common threat to both nations. Optimists have reason to hope that mutual cooperation against terrorism will pave the way for a broader problem-solving approach between the two countries including such issues as the Kashmir conflict, the distribution of river water, and enhanced economic cooperation. However, it will be premature to jump to inferences at this stage and any progress will depend on exactly how the new government of congress and the year-old democratic government of Pakistan interact over important issues relating the two nuclear powers of South Asia.