The 2+2 dialogue between India and America in New Delhi was the first of its kind which included dialogues and signing of agreements between the two countries. In a historic turn of events, India and the United States signed the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA) on Thursday in the first ever ‘2+2’ talks between the two countries. The agreement will have far-reaching implications in the military relations between the two countries. The deal was signed after a dialogue between United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, United States Defence Secretary James ‘Jim’ Mattis and Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. However COMCASA is not the only major development which has taken place in the 2+2 dialogue, after a long gap the US has finally agreed to help India track down and nab Dawood Ibrahim who is currently in Pakistan.
The US government has time and again hinted towards Pakistan harbouring terrorists and giving them monetary support. The United States since January has continued cancelling aid and monetary grants to Pakistan, quite recently the US military has cancelled a $300 million aid to Pakistan. The agreement to help India track gangster and drug supplier Dawood Ibrahim will further tighten the noose around the newly elected Pakistani government led by Imran Khan. The joint statement released by India and the US mentions the launch of a bilateral dialogue on the designation of terrorists in 2017 and goes on to speak about strengthening action against terror groups which includes Dawood Ibrahim and his associates.
The Indian government has been eager to get its hand on Dawood Ibrahim and Lashkar-e-Taiba chief, Hafiz Saeed. Nabbing Dawood ranks higher on the priority list for India not just for his involvement in activities related to spreading terror in India but also for financing several terrorist groups which indulge in anti-India activities. Dawood has been a strategic asset for the country and he sits on top of the ladder in the country which thrives on terror related networks.
There is already a $ 20 million bounty on his head and he has been declared a global terrorist by the US. India has been actively trying to nab Dawood by sharing D company’s global financial network with the other countries. Most of the funds for the D company come from the narcotics trade controlled by the D-company. US has expressed deep concern for the terror operatives and their financers and Dawood Ibrahim will climb that list owing to the renewed relations between US and India. His smuggling and financial routes too would come under direct attack from US and India, real time monitoring of the gangster on Pakistan soil and breaking his financial network too will become easy once US and India join hands.