Order Code RS21589
Updated February 22, 2005
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
India: Chronology of Recent Events
K. Alan Kronstadt
Analyst in Asian Affairs
Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
Summary
This report provides a reverse chronology of recent events involving India and
India-U.S. relations. Sources include, but are not limited to, the U.S. Department of
State, New York Times, Washington Post, Hindu (Madras), Hindustan Times (Delhi),
Indian Express (Bombay), and major newswires. This report will be updated regularly.
Acronyms:
BJP: Bharatiya Janata Party LOC: Line of Control (Kashmir)
CBMs: Confidence-building measures NSSP: Next Steps in Strategic Partnership (U.S.-India)
02/22/05 —
Top Indian and Pakistani officials opened two-day economic
cooperation talks in New Delhi that the Indian commerce minister
described as a “historic step” in bilateral relations. On the same day, the
Indian government announced that New Delhi’s military shipments to
Kathmandu had been halted due to recent anti-democratic
developments there. Also, during a visit to New Delhi, Iran’s foreign
minister said that an Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline would be “the best
and most desirable step” in India-Iran energy cooperation. Finally, at least
170 people were reported killed and hundreds more missing in avalanches
and mud slides after the worst snowfall in Indian Kashmir in two decades.
02/21/05 —
A U.S. delegation led by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s
regional director visited New Delhi to brief Indian officials on the Patriot
missile defense system, which some reports say the Indian government
will consider purchasing.
02/17/05 —
The Indian army began demining efforts along a road to be used for bus
service across the Kashmiri LOC. On the same day, the Jaish-e-
Mohammed terrorist group threatened to disrupt such service, saying it
will “weaken the idea of Kashmir uniting with Pakistan.” Moderate
Kashmiri separatist leader Abdul Gani Bhat called the service a “small but
significant step,” while hardline figure Syed Ali Shah Geelani claimed the
opening of the road link “will make no difference.”
02/16/05 —
In a major confidence-building development, India and Pakistan agreed
to allow bus travel across the Kashmiri LOC between Srinagar and
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

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CRS-2
Muzaffarabad commencing April 7, 2005. External Affairs Minister
Singh concluded “extremely useful and intensive” discussions with his
Pakistani counterpart and called India-Pakistan cooperation “not just a
desirable objective; it is an imperative.” On the same day, five Indian
soldiers were killed and one seriously injured when their convoy was
ambushed by suspected separatist rebels in the northeastern Manipur state.
02/15/05 —
External Affairs Minister Singh arrived in Islamabad for the first such
bilateral visit since 1989, saying “substantial progress” had been made in
India-Pakistan relations since January 2004 and expressing hope that
further progress would come during his visit. On the same day, election-
related violence left at least 18 people dead after Maoist rebel attacks in
the eastern states of Jharkhand and Bihar.
02/11/05 —
A U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) delegation ended a four-
day visit to India for technical discussions and visits to selected nuclear
facilities. Commissioner Jeffery Merrifield led the first NRC visit to India
since the January 2004 launching of the U.S.-India NSSP initiative. On
the same day, at least six Indian policemen were killed and another five
injured when Maoist rebels planted explosives in their sleeping quarters
in the southern Karnataka state. Also, ten people were reported killed in
separatist-related violence in Indian Kashmir.
02/10/05 —
The inaugural session of the U.S.-India High-Technology Defense
Working Group met in Bangalore. Participant and U.S. defense
contractor Lockheed Martin announced having won export licenses to sell
C-130J transport and P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft to India.
02/09/05 —
H.Res 83, expressing the sense of the House that India should be a
permanent member of the UN Security Council, was introduced in the
House. On the same day, Indian Defense Minister Mukherjee said that the
possibility of sanctions reduces U.S. credibility as a reliable supplier of
defense equipment. Also, in a bid to increase potential business with India,
U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin said it would (under special
license) share with India sensitive technology related to its P-3C Orion
maritime patrol aircraft should the Indian navy choose to purchase them.
Finally, a cabinet meeting chaired by PM Singh approved holding talks
with Pakistan, Burma, Bangladesh, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan to
discuss the construction of new gas pipelines in the region.
02/08/05 —
Defense Minister Mukherjee said that the number of infiltrators from
across the Kashmiri LOC was down 60 percent over the previous year.
On the same day, World Bank president James Wolfensohn said that a
“neutral expert” would be appointed to arbitrate an India-Pakistan dispute
under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty.
02/07/05 —
India’s air force chief said that U.S.-built F-16 warplanes were among
four types of multi-role fighters that India will considering
purchasing. On the same day, India launched its first human clinical
trials of a vaccine designed to prevent HIV.
02/03/05 —
State-level election-related violence left at least 20 people dead as first-
round ballots were cast in Jharkhand, Bihar, and Haryana. On the same
day, the Indian rupee hit a five-year high of 43.3 per U.S. dollar after the
country’s currency rating was raised.
02/02/05 —
After PM Singh cancelled his participation in a scheduled early February
SAARC summit due to concerns about security in host country

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Bangladesh and political turmoil in Nepal, Pakistan, the current SAARC
chair, announced that the summit would be postponed indefinitely.
02/01/05 —
Nepal’s King Gyanendra dissolved his country’s parliament and
assumed emergency powers after blaming the prime minister for failing
to hold polls or end the Maoist insurgency there. The Indian government,
a major supplier of military equipment to Kathmandu that faces its own
indigenous Maoist rebels, called the developments “a serious setback for
the cause of democracy in Nepal” that was “of grave concern to India.”
New Delhi later indicated that military assistance to Kathmandu would
continue because, “If Maoist activity is not restrained in Nepal, it may
cause problems in India.” On the same day, India’s petroleum minister
said that his country’s energy relationship with Iran is moving “full steam
ahead” despite “differences in perspectives the world over on how the
world should treat Iran.”
01/31/05 —
Eleven people, including seven civilians, were reported killed in
separatist-related violence in Indian Kashmir. On the same day, Lt. Gen.
J.J. Singh took over as India’s new chief of army staff.
01/29/05 —
During his first visit to Hyderabad, U.S. Ambassador to India Mulford
reportedly said that he and investors had been concerned about Maoist
violence in Andhra Pradesh, but got “good answers” about the investment
climate from area business leaders. On the same day, Pakistani Foreign
Minister Kasuri told an audience in Switzerland that “in concrete terms
[Pakistan and India] are not making much progress” in bilateral dialogue,
“not just on Kashmir but even on other issues.”
01/27/05 —
London-based Amnesty International issued a report critical of Indian
authorities for failing to pursue justice for figures, including government
officials, responsible for bloody communal riots in Gujarat in 2002.
01/26/05 —
Pakistani PM Aziz told an audience in Belgium that he has “yet to detect
any indication so far” that India is ready to address the Kashmir issue
“seriously, substantively, and purposefully,” adding that “The security
situation in South Asia will remain tenuous unless we are able to resolve
peacefully the core [Kashmir] dispute.” Aziz also claimed that a widening
gap between Pakistan and India in the area of air and naval military power
“is causing a serious imbalance in South Asia.”
01/25/05 —
H.Res. 47, urging a peaceful resolution of the conflict over Kashmir, and
for other purposes, was introduced in the House. On the same day, former
intelligence chief M.K. Narayanan received permanent appointment as
India’s National Security Advisor, replacing J.N. Dixit, who died earlier
in the month. Also, India’s two top political leaders, Manmohan Singh
and Sonia Gandhi, indicated that peace talks between the Andhra Pradesh
government and Maoist rebels should continue. Finally, some 300 Hindu
pilgrims, including women and children, were killed in a stampede and
subsequent fire near a temple 160 miles southeast of Bombay.
01/24/05 —
India and China opened their first strategic dialogue when China’s
vice foreign minister arrived in New Delhi for two-day talks with his
Indian counterpart. On the same day, Pakistan said that three days earlier
Indian troops had broken a 14-month-old cease-fire agreement with
small arms fire across the LOC. India denied the claim.

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CRS-4
01/19/05 — A public opinion survey in 21 countries found that India was one of only
three where a majority of those polled (62%) thought the reelection of
President Bush was a positive development for world security.
01/18/05 — The World Bank received a letter from the Pakistani government
asking that a “neutral expert” be appointed to help settle the Baglihar
dam dispute under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty. The Indian government
said the request was “unjustified” and that dam construction will continue.
On the same day, the Indian army said that Pakistani troops had fired
a dozen mortar shells over the Kashmiri LOC in violation of a 14-
month-old cease-fire agreement. The Pakistani army denied the claim.
Also, Indian security forces reportedly killed five “infiltrators” at the LOC.
01/17/05 — The Communist Party of India (Maoist), a grouping of “Naxalite” rebel
groups, withdrew from peace talks with the government of the southern
Andhra Pradesh state, accusing that government of breaking a six-month-
old cease-fire agreement.
01/16/05 — The United States and India signed an “Open Skies” agreement that
would remove restrictions and lower fares on bilateral airline service.
01/15/05 — India’s army chief said that the number of infiltration attempts at the
Kashmiri LOC was down 90% in 2004. On the same day, Pakistani
President Musharraf said that his country would offer no more confidence-
building initiatives until Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service is launched.
01/14/05 — An Indian military official announced that a contingent of ten Indian
helicopters and 285 personnel would serve alongside Pakistani
peacekeeping troops in Congo.
01/10/05 — A Pakistan government spokesman said that the recent failure to resolve
the Baglihar dam dispute will have a negative impact on the India-
Pakistan dialogue process. On the same day, while in New Delhi, former
U.S. Ambassador to India Robert Blackwill reportedly questioned why the
United States would consider selling F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan when
that country “had not stopped sponsoring cross-border terrorism.”
01/07/05 — Three days of talks between Indian and Pakistani officials failed to resolve
an ongoing dispute over a dam that India is constructing in Baglihar,
Kashmir. On the same day, Pakistan released to India 266 Indian
fishermen that had been arrested the previous year for allegedly entering
Pakistani waters in the Arabian Sea. Also, Indian Maj. Gen. Randhir
Kumar Mehta was appointed to be the new Military Adviser for UN
Peacekeeping Operations.
01/04/05 — H.R. 164 was introduced in the House. The bill seeks to amend the
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide for the establishment of a
network of pediatric centers in India and certain other developing
countries to provide treatment and care for children with HIV/AIDS.
01/03/05 — Indian National Security Advisor J.N. Dixit died suddenly after a heart
attack. Special Advisor to the Prime Minister M.K. Narayanan, a former
intelligence chief, was named to temporarily replace him.
01/01/05 — Pakistan’s state television network reported that Indian troops had
“martyred 1,675 innocent Kashmiris” in 2004.
12/28/04 — India and Pakistan concluded two-day, foreign secretary-level talks
in Islamabad. The talks, which were “held in a frank, cordial, and
constructive atmosphere,” produced no major agreements, but reviewed

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overall progress in the “Composite Dialogue” and made plans for its
continuation in 2005. On the same day, in Beijing, Indian Army Chief
Gen. Vij and his Chinese counterpart agreed to deepen bilateral
defense cooperation at the conclusion of the first such visit in a decade.
12/26/04 — An earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean near Indonesia caused a tsunami
that devastated coastal areas in 15 littoral countries and killed up to
200,000 people, about 16,000 of them in India. Most of the Indian
deaths and damage were in the southern Tamil Nadu state and the remote
Andaman and Nicobar Islands. On the same day, India’s external affairs
minister said that Pakistan’s willingness to discuss Kashmir and other
issues showed that “progress is being made” in bilateral dialogue, but he
warned that “there are no quick fixes” to the countries’ mutual problems.
12/24/04 — The chief minister of the West Bengal state accused Pakistan’s
intelligence agency of operating from Bangladesh and encouraging the
activities of anti-India militants there.
12/21/04 — PM Singh told Parliament he had informed Pakistani President Musharraf
that India is “willing to look at various options” for settlement of the
Kashmir issue, but that India would “not agree to any redrawing of
boundaries or another partition of the country.”
12/20/04 — A former external affairs minister and current opposition BJP member in
Parliament, Yashwant Sinha, said that India’s foreign policy was “in a
shambles” with “no coordination” on major foreign policy issues by the
new government.
12/17/04 — Indian authorities arrested Avinish Bajaj, a naturalized American citizen
and the chief executive of Ebay Inc.’s Indian subsidiary, on charges related
to the posting of an allegedly obscene video on an Indian Internet auction
site. The State Department said that the situation is “of concern at the
highest levels of the U.S. government.”
12/16/04 — Defense Minister Mukherjee told Parliament that the construction of a
fence along the LOC in Kashmir had been completed.
12/15/04 — India and Pakistan concluded two-day, expert-level talks on nuclear
and conventional arms CBMs, and the territorial dispute over Sir Creek.
The talks, all held in Pakistan as part of the “Composite Dialogue” agreed
to in September 2004, came in a “cordial and constructive atmosphere,”
but produced only agreements to meet again in the future. On the same
day, the United States and India signed a Customs Mutual Assistance
Agreement to facilitate bilateral cooperation on customs law enforcement.
Also, more than 50 separatist leaders from both the Indian and Pakistani
regions of Kashmir concluded a three-day meeting in Nepal sponsored by
the Pugwash Foundation.
12/13/04 — U.S. Ambassador to India Mulford reportedly said that the United States
“would like to be a bigger supplier of military equipment and weapons to
India.” On the same day, India’s defense minister said that “the argument
of the U.S. that it was supplying arms to Pakistan to tackle terrorism does
not stand.”
12/08/04 — Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld arrived in New Delhi, where he called
for an expanded U.S.-India defense relationship. Hours before his arrival,
India’s external affairs minister said that India had “cautioned the United
States” against a decision to sell F-16 fighter jets, adding that the “U.S.

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arms supply to Pakistan would have a negative impact on the goodwill the
United States enjoys with India, particularly as a sister democracy.”
12/07/04 — The dialogue with Pakistan on opening bus service between Srinagar and
Muzaffarabad in Kashmir apparently remained deadlocked on the issue of
travel documents for passengers, with Pakistan calling for locally issued
passes and India seeking passport requirements.
12/06/04 — The Indian Parliament voted to repeal the controversial Prevention of
Terrorism Act (POTA) amid opposition protests that the move will be a
setback in the war against terrorism. The body then passed a new set of
laws, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill 2004.
12/05/04 — U.S. Treasury Under Secretary John B. Taylor visited New Delhi,
where he told a World Economic Forum audience that eradicating poverty
will require India to increase its productivity through capital investment
and education, and he lauded New Delhi for policies that put India on the
“right track.” On the same day, at least 10 Indian soldiers, including an
army major, were killed when suspected separatist militants exploded a
bomb near their vehicle. The Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist
group claimed responsibility.
12/03/04 — During a visit to New Delhi by Russian President Putin, India and
Russia signed ten bilateral agreements, including a joint declaration
emphasizing continued strategic partnership between the two countries.
Other pacts include arrangements for oil and gas deals, joint energy and
space exploration, and defense trade. On the same day, Indian and
Pakistani officials agreed in principle to begin repairs on a badly
deteriorated rail line between Pakistan’s Sindh province and India’s
Rajasthan state that has been closed since 1965.
11/30/04 — The benchmark Bombay Sensex stock index reached an all-time
closing high.
11/29/04 — The Indian army claimed it had overrun scores of separatist militant camps
during a one-month, 6,000-man operation in northeastern Manipur state.
11/26/04 — Moderate Kashmiri separatist leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq reportedly said
that efforts to reunite the split Hurriyat Conference had failed, and he
blamed hardline figure Syed Ali Shah Geelani for the impasse.
11/24/04 — PM Singh and other Indian leaders met with Pakistani PM Shaukat
Aziz in New Delhi, the first visit to India by a Pakistani prime minister in
more than ten years. Both sides called the talks “friendly” and
“constructive,” but Pakistan offered no new formulations on the Kashmir
issue and the Indian prime minister reiterated that the issue can have no
“territorial solutions.” Aziz also met with Kashmiri separatist leaders.
11/18/04 — U.S. and Indian government officials and business leaders met in
Washington to discuss ways of increasing bilateral high-technology trade.
The U.S. Department of Commerce hosted the event under the auspices
of the U.S.-India High-Technology Cooperation Group.
11/17/04 — PM Singh visited the Jammu and Kashmir state for the first time
while in office, where he presented a $5.3 billion assistance plan, offered
unconditional dialogue with any separatists who shun violence, and
suggested that more troop reductions could come if the security situation
there remains static.

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