Order Code RS21589
Updated July 13, 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. For a substantive review, see CRS
Issue Brief IB93097, India-U.S. Relations. This report will be updated regularly.
07/13/05 — H.Res. 353, expressing U.S. support for
Acronyms:
India-Pakistan cooperation on the
BJP: Bharatiya Janata Party
construction of natural gas pipelines,
LOC: Line of Control
was introduced in the House. On the
(Kashmir)
same day, talks between Indian and
Pakistani officials ended with a “serious
commitment” to begin work on a $4-4.5 billion pipeline that would
deliver Iranian gas through Pakistan to India. Also, India’s foreign
secretary said that the continued existence of “the infrastructure of
terrorism” on Pakistani soil and the continued infiltration of Islamic
militants into Indian Kashmir could hamper the bilateral peace process.
07/12/05 — The United States rejected a resolution by India, Brazil, Germany, and
Japan seeking to expand membership in the U.N. Security Council and
urged member states against voting on any changes. On the same day,
External Affairs Minister Singh said he had provided “photographic
evidence” to Pakistan’s prime minister that terrorist camps exist on
Pakistani territory. Pakistan rejected the claims.
07/11/05 — Ten people, including seven suspected Islamic militants, were killed in
separatist-related violence in Kashmir.
07/10/05 — Suspected separatist militants bombed an army convoy in the northeastern
Manipur state, killing two soldiers and critically injuring six others.
07/09/05 — Prime Minister Singh said President Bush had indicated to him that the
United States would be willing to help India with its nuclear energy needs.
On the same day, four suspected Maoist rebels were killed by police in the
southern Andhra Pradesh state. Also, three communist politicians and a
policeman were killed by suspected Maoist rebels in the eastern West
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

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CRS-2
Bengal state. Finally, tribesmen in the northeastern Manipur state set
more than one dozen government buildings on fire while protesting the
shooting of a protestor by police.
07/08/05 — Four Indian soldiers and at least four suspected militants were killed in
gunbattles near the Kashmiri LOC.
07/07/05 — Ten people, including seven suspected militants, were killed in separatist-
related violence in Kashmir. On the same day, suspected Maoist rebels
killed five people in the eastern Orissa state. Also, India’s defense
minister turned down a U.S. suggestion that India post military liaison
officers at the U.S. Central and Pacific Commands. Finally, Prime
Minister Singh said that repeated terrorist attacks such as the one in
Ayodhya have the potential to disrupt the India-Pakistan peace process.
07/06/05 — Prime Minister Singh said he was not going to the United States with a
“begging bowl” and had no plans to “negotiate any deals” in Washington.
On the same day, the Allahabad High Court set aside a September 2003
ruling and ordered that BJP President and Opposition Leader Lal Advani
be tried on conspiracy charges related to the 1992 destruction of the Babri
mosque in Ayodhya and ensuing riots.
07/05/05 — Six militants, including a suicide bomber, were killed in the midst of
an unsuccessful attack on the site of a controversial temple that is
claimed by both Hindus and Muslims in the Uttar Pradesh city of
Ayodhya. Ensuing protests by Hindu activists led to thousands of arrests.
On the same day, India and Pakistan renewed their commitment to move
forward with the bilateral peace process by opening new transportation
and trade links. Also, India resumed delivery of non-lethal military aid to
the government of Nepal after a five-month hiatus spurred by the Nepali
king’s assumption of emergency powers. Finally, the Indian defense
minister stated that India had no intention of accepting a missile shield
“from anyone.”
07/02/05 — Nine people, including six suspected militants, were killed in separatist-
related violence in Kashmir.
07/01/05 — Four Maoist rebels were killed in a gunbattle with police in the southern
Andhra Pradesh state.
06/30/05 — A meeting of the India-U.S. Joint Working Group on Space concluded
in Bangalore, where the two countries discussed ways to expand bilateral
civilian space cooperation.
06/29/05 — Talks between Indian and Pakistani officials seeking to resolve a
water dispute over the Wullar Barrage/Tubal navigation project
ended in deadlock. On the same day, India and Singapore signed a
Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement that will include a
major reduction of Indian tariffs on Singaporean goods.
06/28/05 — The United States and India signed a ten-year defense framework
agreement that refers to a “new era” for bilateral relations, calls for
collaboration in multilateral operations, expanded two-way defense trade,
increasing opportunities for technology transfers and co-production,
expanded collaboration related to missile defense, and establishment of a
bilateral Defense Procurement and Production Group. Pakistan later
expressed concern that the pact could lead to “induction of advanced
weapons systems into the region” and “destabilize strategic balance” there.
India’s Leftist parties and some Indian defense analysts were critical of the

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pact, in part on the grounds that it could erode Indian sovereignty and
sought to draw India into an anti-China alliance.
06/27/05 — While visiting Washington, Indian Defense Minister Mukherjee said
India-U.S. relations now “see an objective convergence on many issues”
and he called for an end to “anachronistic” restrictions on India’s access
to civilian nuclear and other dual-use technologies while requesting a
“long-term commitment” in U.S.-India arms sales arrangements. He also
denied that the India-Pakistan peace process was “entrenched” and
claimed that the “infrastructure for terrorism in Pakistan and Pakistani-
controlled territory remains.” On the same day, nine people, including
five suspected militants, were killed in separatist-related violence in
Kashmir.
06/26/05 — An Indian policeman was killed and six more injured in a gunbattle with
Maoist rebels in Bihar near the India-Nepal border.
06/24/05 — While visiting New Delhi, Under Secretary of State Burns said, “There
is no question that developing a strategic partnership between the United
States and India is one of the highest priorities for our President and for
[our] Secretary of State.” He declined to endorse India’s bid for a
permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council while noting that India meets
the U.S.-stated criteria for such a seat. On the same day, nine Indian
soldiers were killed and another 15 wounded by a bomb detonated by
Kashmiri separatists in Srinagar.
06/20/05 — At least four suspected separatist militants and one Indian soldier were
killed in gunbattles in the northeastern Assam state. A bomb also
exploded at the state capitol, but no injuries were reported.
06/19/05 — Violent clashes between police and political protestors in Calcutta left
some 70 people injured.
06/18/05 — India and Pakistan reportedly decided to postpone talks on nuclear
confidence-building measures until they are able to resolve differences
over a proposed missile test pre-notification pact.
06/17/05 — Six suspected separatist militants were reported killed by Indian army
troops as they tried to cross the LOC into Indian Kashmir.
06/16/05 — Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control Rademaker reportedly said
that “it would be a mistake to proceed with this [Iran-Pakistan-India gas]
pipeline” as it would generate revenue that Iran would use “for funding its
weapons of mass destruction program and for supporting terrorist
activities.” New Delhi later rejected such concerns. On the same day,
former Prime Minister Vajpayee wrote a letter to Prime Minister Singh
saying the India-Pakistan peace initiative had become “Kashmir-centric”
and criticizing the Pakistani president for reneging on promises to end
violence in the region.
06/15/05 — H.Res. 321, expressing the sense of the House that the United States
should support membership expansion of the U.N. Security Council to
include India and several other countries, was introduced in the House.
On the same day, a leading Kashmiri separatist and a former Pakistani
army chief made separate accusations that Pakistani Information Minister
Rashid operated a training camp for Kashmiri separatist militants during
the 1980s. New Delhi later said Rashid would not be allowed to travel
across the Kashmiri LOC due to the allegations. Rashid said the move
would “set back” the peace process. Also, London-based Amnesty

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International released a report claiming that Indian military assistance to
Nepal has contributed to “grave human rights violations” there.
06/14/05 — During a House International Relations Committee hearing on the
United States and South Asia, Assistant Secretary of State for South
Asia Christina Rocca said, “With India, this is a watershed year in U.S.-
India relations. We’re accelerating and transforming this relationship,
which moved briskly over the past four years, We’re now ready to take it
to the next level.” Several Members in attendance spoke against a U.S.
policy of selling combat aircraft to South Asian countries. One expert
witness called for completing the “transformation of U.S.-Indian relations
as rapidly as possible in order to permanently entrench India in the ranks
of our friends and allies,” while another encouraged attention to India’s
still relatively closed economy and its “anti-American voting record in the
United Nations.”
06/13/05 — A bomb exploded near a school in Indian Kashmir, killing 14 people
and injuring at least 100 more. On the same day, India and Iran
finalized a $22 billion deal for Tehran to deliver five million tons of
natural gas to India annually for 25 years beginning in 2009.
06/12/05 — Prime Minister Singh said the time had come to make the Siachen Glacier
a “peace mountain.” Islamabad responded that it hopes “India would
unconditionally withdraw its aggression on the basis of past agreements.”
06/11/05 — Prime Minister Singh said that his government will begin negotiations
with Pakistan on the possibility of opening a second road link across the
Kashmiri LOC.
06/09/05 — During a visit to Pakistan, moderate Kashmiri separatist leader Mirwaiz
Umer Farooq urged interested parties to “move beyond” U.N.
resolutions that call for a plebiscite in the disputed region. On the same
day, India expressed concern at the large numbers of Nepali refugees
entering India. Also, six suspected separatist militant and an Indian
soldier were reported killed in a gun battle in Indian Kashmir. Finally,
two factions of the Kashmiri separatist Jammu and Kashmir Liberation
Front announced a decision to reunite.
06/07/05 — Indian opposition leader and former Deputy PM Lal Advani resigned
his position as BJP president after coming under fierce criticism for recent
comments he made in Pakistan where he called Pakistani founding father
Mohammed Ali Jinnah a “secular” leader. Leading Hindu nationalists
had called Advani a “traitor” and a “grave liability” to the BJP. Two days
later, Advani withdrew his resignation after it was rejected by the BJP
leadership. On the same day, Indian and Pakistani officials discussing
energy cooperation agreed that “transnational gas pipeline projects should
be given top priority” and began talks on a proposed gas pipeline from
Iran to India. India’s oil minister suggested that construction of a pipeline
from Iran to India could begin in three years or less.
06/06/05 — Sixteen people, including four civilians and 11 suspected separatist
militants, were killed over a two-day period in gunbattles in Indian
Kashmir. On the same day, the Stockholm International Peace Research
Institute said that India imported $8.5 billion worth of weapons systems
from 2000 to 2004, placing it second only to China.
06/04/05 — President Bush invited Prime Minister Singh to meet with him at the
White House on July 18. On the same day, Singh called it “imperative”

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CRS-5
that India “embark on a major expansion of nuclear energy,” in part
through international collaboration. He also said, “Artificial barriers and
[nuclear] technology denial regimes are an anachronism in the age of
globalization and must be progressively dismantled.”
06/03/05 — The U.S. State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report
again placed India on its “Tier 2 Watch List” for its “inability to show
evidence of increased efforts to address trafficking in persons.” On the
same day, a local politician was shot and killed by suspected separatist
militants in Indian Kashmir.
06/02/05 — Leaders of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference of
Kashmiri separatist groups began an unprecedented visit to Pakistan.
On the same day, talks between Indian and Pakistani officials seeking to
resolve a water dispute over India’s Kishanganga dam project ended in
deadlock. Also, the foreign ministers of India, China, and Russia met in
Vladivostok and declared an intention to cooperate in a trilateral format
on security and economic issues.
05/31/05 — The inaugural meeting of the U.S.-India Energy Dialogue was held in
Washington. On the same day, Indian opposition leader and former
Deputy PM Lal Advani met with top Pakistani officials in Islamabad
where he declared that there was “broad consensus” on the peace process
in India. Also, India’s defense minister inaugurated India’s largest naval
base at the southwestern city of Karwar on the Arabian Sea.
05/30/05 — Prime Minister Singh said, “Not enough has been done [by Pakistan]
to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism, which is still intact.”
05/29/05 — Talks between Indian and Pakistani officials seeking to resolve a
territorial dispute over the Sir Creek ended in deadlock.
05/28/05 — At least 33 people were injured in two separate explosions in Indian
Kashmir.
05/27/05 — Talks between Indian and Pakistani officials seeking to resolve a
militarized dispute over the Siachen Glacier ended in deadlock.
05/26/05 — New York-based Human Rights Watch lauded the Indian government’s
overall response to the December 2004 tsunami, but found that the
government recovery efforts did not adequately serve the needs of
vulnerable groups such as women, children, and Dalits (“untouchables”).
05/25/05 — London-based Amnesty International’s annual report claimed that during
2004 perpetrators of human rights violations in India “continued to enjoy
impunity in many cases.”
05/23/05 — The Islamabad government invited the leadership of the Hurriyat
Conference of Kashmiri separatist groups to visit Pakistan in June.
Leaders of the moderate Hurriyat faction later accepted the invitation. On
the same day, China’s top military official visited New Delhi to discuss
increased defense ties between Indian and China. Also, a U.S. State
Department official’s statement to the 2005 Review Conference of the
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty included setting a goal that Israel, India,
and Pakistan eventually join the Treaty as non-nuclear weapons states.
05/22/05 — One person was killed and 49 more injured by bomb explosions at two
Delhi movie theaters that were showing a controversial film opposed by
some Sikh groups. Police later arrested three suspects, including two
members of a Sikh militant group.

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05/20/05 — At least four Indian soldiers, including an officer, and five suspected
separatist militants were killed in gunbattles in Indian Kashmir.
05/17/05 — The United States and India held a meeting of the U.S.-India Global
Issues Forum in Washington. On the same day, Prime Minister Singh
stated that India is prepared for “the broadest possible engagement” with
the international nonproliferation regime and vowed that India will not be
a source of proliferation of sensitive technologies.” Also, separatist-
related violence left 12 people dead in Indian Kashmir. Finally, an Indian
court charged Railways Minister and key Bihari politician Laloo Yadav
with embezzling funds worth more than $600,000.
05/13/05 — Police opened fire on political protestors in the southern Andhra Pradesh
state, killing five members an opposition political party and injuring 20
more. On the same day, a former governor of the western Gujarat state
and top BJP official said the government there failed to act with proper
speed to halt communal rioting in 2002 and he urged an investigation into
the actions of Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s response to the violence.
05/12/05 — The lower house of the Indian Parliament passed a bill designed to
strengthen India’s nonproliferation laws by banning the transfers of WMD
or their delivery systems. On the same day, India test-launched a Prithvi
short-range ballistic missile.
05/11/05 — The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom released its
annual report, which placed India on a “Watch List” of countries requiring
“close monitoring due to the nature and extent of violations of religious
freedom engaged in or tolerated by the governments.”
05/10/05 — After consulting with the Indian and Pakistani governments, the World
Bank named a Swiss engineer to serve as Neutral Expert to address the
dispute over a dam India is constructing on the Chenab River in Baghliar.
05/07/05 — External Affairs Minister Singh told an interviewer that India-U.S.
relations “have never been better,” and suggested India would go ahead
with an Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project despite U.S. concerns.
05/02/05 — The Indian army reported that ten people, including six suspected
separatist militants, had been killed in gunbattles in Indian Kashmir.
04/27/05 — Gunbattles in Indian Kashmir reportedly left 12 people dead, including ten
suspected separatist militants.
04/26/05 — Air India announced approval of a $6.9 billion deal to purchase 50
Boeing passenger aircraft.
04/25/05
— External Affairs Minister Singh said that India would resume
“unconditional” arms sales to Nepal, reversing an earlier requirement
that democracy first be restored in Kathmandu.
04/18/05 — Following meetings between Prime Minister Singh and Pakistani
President Musharraf in New Delhi, India and Pakistan released a joint
statement calling their bilateral peace process “irreversible.”
04/14/05 — Indian External Affairs Minister Singh met with President Bush and
Secretary of State Rice in Washington to discuss ways to enhance the
U.S.-Indian relationship. On the same day, the United States and India
signed an Open Skies aviation agreement that will provide unlimited
market access to passenger and cargo air carriers from both countries.

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