Order Code RS21589
Updated October 30, 2006
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
India: Chronology of Recent Events
K. Alan Kronstadt
Specialist 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, major newswires, the U.S.
Department of State, and Indian news outlets. For a substantive review, see CRS Report
RL33529, India-U.S. Relations. This report will be updated regularly.
10/30/06 — Maharashtra police announced
Acronyms:
having detained a Muslim man in
BJP:
Bharatiya Janata Party
their first arrest related to the 9/8
LOC:
Line of Control (Kashmir)
bombings in Malegaon.
ULFA:
United Liberation Front of
10/28/06 — Kashmiri separatist leader Yasin
Assam
Malik reportedly was “severely
beaten” in an attack by Indian security forces in Srinagar.
10/27/06 — The Indian Cabinet approved a plan to restore direct cargo shipping links
with Pakistan after a 35-year suspension. On the same day, more than
4,000 people fled their homes after gunbattles between two rival militant
factions in the northeastern Nagaland state.
10/26/06 — A new law to protect Indian women from domestic abuse came into effect.
10/25/06 — The sixth annual “Malabar” joint U.S.-India naval exercises began in
the Arabian Sea and included some 6,500 U.S. Navy personnel. On the
same day, U.S. and Indian infantry engaged in joint counterterrorism drills
in the Karnataka state.
10/24/06 — Pranab Mukherjee was named as India’s new foreign minister, a post
that had been vacant for nearly one year. A.K. Antony, a three-time chief
minister of the southern Kerala state, was named as the new defense
minister. On the same day, Prime Minister Singh said India had
“credible evidence” of Pakistan’s involvement in the 7/11 Bombay
train bombings. Also, police in Srinagar, Kashmir, fired tear gas at
hundreds of protesters angered by the deaths of a father and son who were
killed by a police vehicle. Finally, two civilians and a policeman were
killed in separatist-related violence in Kashmir.
10/23/06 — Defense Minister Mukherjee accused Pakistan of trying to “infiltrate and
subvert” India’s military. On the same day, more than 800 tribal militants
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

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CRS-2
reportedly surrendered to government authorities in the northeastern
Mizoram state.
10/22/06 — National Security Advisor Narayanan said India had “very good” but not
“clinching” evidence that Pakistan’s intelligence service colluded in the
7/11 Bombay train bombings. On the same day, suspected Maoist
militants shot dead the second-highest ranking police official in the
eastern Orissa state. Also, thousands of Kashmiris took to the streets of
Srinagar to protest the death of a 19-year-old man while in the custody of
the Indian army.
10/21/06 — A new espionage row erupted between India and Pakistan after police
in New Delhi arrested an Indian army employee as he allegedly passed
classified documents to a Pakistani diplomat. Islamabad formally
protested, calling the detention “illegal.”
10/20/06 — Prime Minister Singh accepted an invitation to visit Pakistan at an
unspecified date. On the same day, seven militants, a civilian, and a child
were killed in separatist-related violence in Kashmir. Also, India’s Tata
Steel agreed to an $8 billion takeover bid for an Anglo-Dutch firm,
creating the world’s fifth largest steelmaker in India’s largest-ever foreign
takeover.
10/19/06 — India’s Left Front parties demanded extensive curbs on proposed Special
Economic Zones favored by the ruling Congress party. On the same day,
New Delhi announced a stay of execution for a Kashmiri man for his role
in a 2001 militant attack on the Indian Parliament while his wife’s mercy
petition is considered. Also, four Maoist militants were killed in an
explosion in the southern Andhra Pradesh state.
10/17/06 — Indian Army Chief Gen. Singh said levels of violence in Kashmir had
decreased by 20% due to more detentions and surrenders of separatist
militants.
10/16/06 — Suspected separatist militants shot dead 2 policemen and injured 14
civilians in a series of attacks in Indian Kashmir.
10/14/06 — Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah said India
would “go up in flames” if the government executes a Kashmiri man for
his role in a 2001 militant attack on the Indian Parliament.
10/13/06 — The benchmark Sensex index of the Bombay Stock Exchange closed
at its highest level ever, topping a mark set in May. On the same day, a
Defense Ministry statement said the indigenous Trishul naval anti-missile
program would be scrapped after more than 20 years in development in
favor of co-development of Israel’s Barak system. Defense Minister
Mukherjee later said the program would be extended through 2007.
10/12/06 — Police in Calcutta seized some 543 anti-personnel mines and other
ammunition believed to be for use by Maoist militants. On the same day,
two suspected separatist militants were killed and several pounds of high
explosive seized in a raid in Indian Kashmir.
10/10/06 — Seven Muslim men who confessed to involvement in the 7/11 Bombay
train bombings retracted their confessions, saying they were made under
duress after beatings by police. On the same day, a new national law went
into effect banning children under 14 from domestic and restaurant work.
Also, New Delhi proposed the sale of 10% stakes in four state-owned
power companies, possibly signaling a resumption of industrial
privatization efforts.

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CRS-3
10/09/06 — New Delhi criticized a reported nuclear test by North Korea, saying it
“jeopardizes” regional peace and stability.
10/08/06 — Two people were killed and 86 others injured over several days of
communal violence between Hindus and Muslims in the southern Kerala
state. On the same day, Indian troops shot dead eight suspected separatist
militants as they tried to cross the LOC into Indian Kashmir. Two Indian
soldiers died in the fighting.
10/06/06 — A press report said India would purchase advanced SpyDer air defense
missiles from Israel to address Pakistan’s planned purchase of U.S.-built
F-16 combat aircraft. On the same day, an attack by tribal militants left
11 people dead in the northeastern Assam state.
10/04/06 — A “bribery index” by Berlin-based Transparency International found
India to be the worst offender among the world’s top 30 exporting
countries. On the same day, separatist militants attacked a security camp
in Srinagar, Kashmir, leaving 3 policemen dead and 12 more injured.
Also, the chief minister of Pakistan’s Baluchistan province accused Indian
intelligence services of fueling an armed insurgency there.
10/02/06 — Prime Minster Singh visited Pretoria, where India and South Africa
reaffirmed their “strategic partnership.”
09/30/06 — Bombay’s top police official said the 7/11 train bombings were
“planned by Pakistan’s [intelligence services] and carried out by
Lashkar-e-Taiba and their operatives in India.” Islamabad swiftly
rejected the allegation as propaganda. India’s main opposition BJP later
called for severing diplomatic ties with Pakistan.
09/29/06 — New Delhi announced that the Indian economy had expanded by 8.9%
during the second quarter of 2006.
09/27/06 — Violent street protests erupted in Srinagar, Kashmir, over the planned
execution of a Kashmiri man for his role in a 2001 militant attack on the
Indian Parliament. Attacks by suspected separatist militants left one
policeman dead and six wounded. On the same day, representatives of the
separatist ULFA withdrew from negotiations with the New Delhi
government, ending a year-long peace process.
09/26/06 — An Indian army officer and two suspected separatist militants were killed
in a gunbattle in Kashmir.
09/25/06 — Defense Minister Mukherjee told an American audience that Pakistan
“remains a nursery of global terrorism.” On the same day, seven people,
including a policewoman, were killed in separatist-related violence in
Kashmir.
09/24/06 — New Delhi ended a six-week-long truce with the separatist ULFA after
militants shot dead a policeman and a civilian in the northeastern Assam
state. ULFA is designated as a terrorist organization under U.S. law. On
the same day, Indian troops shot dead four suspected separatist militants
in Kashmir.
09/18/06 — A joint U.S.-India army exercise in Hawaii included a contingent of 140
Indian troops.
09/17/06 — Police in the central Chhattisgarh state shot dead at least five suspected
Maoist militants in a lengthy gunbattle.
09/16/06 — Meeting on the sidelines of a Nonaligned Movement summit in Cuba,
Prime Minister Singh and Pakistani President Musharraf announced

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CRS-4
a resumption of formal peace negotiations that had been suspended
following the 7/11 Bombay bombings and also decided to implement a
joint anti-terrorism mechanism.
09/15/06 — The U.S. Department of State’s International Religious Freedom Report
2006 found that, “While the national government took positive steps in
key areas to improve religious freedom, the status of religious freedom
generally remained the same” and included instances of slow government
action to counter societal attacks on religious minorities and attempts by
some state and local governments to limit religious freedom.
09/12/06 — An open letter to Congress signed by 16 nonproliferation experts and
former U.S. government officials urged redress of “serious flaws that
still plague the U.S.-India nuclear trade legislation.” On the same day,
Prime Minister Singh expressed concern that “the Pakistan government
has not done enough to control” terrorist elements on its soil. Also, New
York-based Human Rights Watch released a report documenting human
rights abuses in Jammu and Kashmir, finding that Indian security forces
as well as separatist militants are culpable, and suggesting that the
Kashmir insurgency is partly fueled by human rights violations against the
citizenry by Indian security forces who remain able to act with impunity.
09/08/06 — Three bombs exploded in and near a mosque in the western, Muslim-
majority city of Malegaon, leaving 32 people dead and more than 100
injured. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.
09/07/06 — Police in the southern Andhra Pradesh state seized some 600 rockets and
12 launchers after a raid on an arms depot used by Maoist militants. On
the same day, Maoist militants kidnaped two policemen in the central
Chhattisgarh state.
08/31/06 — New Delhi announced that Foreign Secretary Saran would become special
envoy for negotiations on U.S.-India civil nuclear cooperation following
scheduled 9/30 retirement. The current Indian Ambassador to Pakistan,
Shiv Shankar Menon, will take over as the new foreign secretary. On the
same day, the Defense Ministry announced it would begin allowing
private companies to develop high-technology military systems.
08/29/06 — Indian and Bangladeshi border officials met to discuss improved
coordination, with New Delhi requesting that Dhaka take action to close
some 172 anti-Indian insurgent camps claimed to be in Bangladesh near
the shared border.
08/28/06 — Prime Minister Singh said the peace process with Pakistan “cannot go
forward if Pakistan does not deal with terrorism firmly.”
08/24/06 — New Delhi approved a $44 million plan to purchase the USS Trenton, a
decommissioned American amphibious transport dock. On the same day,
a senior External Affairs Ministry official told Parliament there were 52
“terrorist training camps” in Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir, and 172
“Indian insurgent camps” in Bangladesh.
08/23/06 — A meeting of the U.S.-India Financial and Economic Forum was held
in Washington, where officials discussed Indian efforts to liberalize its
financial sector, among other issues. On the same day, Home Affairs
Minister Patil told Parliament there was no evidence Pakistan was acting
to dismantle the “infrastructure of terrorism” on its territory.

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CRS-5
08/22/06 — A delegation of U.S. officials, including President Bush’s top energy and
environment advisor, visited New Delhi to meet with top Indian officials
and business leaders to discuss energy security and the environment.
08/17/06 — Prime Minister Singh again assured Parliament that proposed civil nuclear
cooperation with the United States would be in India’s national interest,
and he reviewed a number of his government’s “concerns” about sections
of enabling legislation in the U.S. Congress, including restrictions on
reprocessing spent fuel, certification requirements that would “diminish
a permanent waiver authority into an annual one,” and language pertaining
to Iran, among others. Singh indicated that India would have “grave
difficulties” accepting the provisions of relevant U.S. legislation in its
current form.
08/15/06 — India celebrated its 59th independence day.
08/11/06 — The U.S. State Department issued terror alerts for U.S. citizens in India
and Pakistan, warning that foreign terrorists and possibly Al Qaeda
members were planning attacks on public facilities in the run-up to those
countries’ independence day celebrations. On the same day, Assistant
Secretary of State Boucher told an Indian television interviewer that the
Bush Administration understands and shares some of the “concerns” about
certain provisions of U.S. congressional legislation that would enable
U.S.-India civil nuclear cooperation, including a legal restriction
reprocessing technologies and imposition of end-use certification.
08/07/06 — Assistant Secretary of State Boucher met with top Indian officials in New
Delhi.
08/04/06 — The United States formally sanctioned two Indian chemical firms
under the Iran Nonproliferation Act for sensitive material transactions
with Iran. The firms denied any WMD-related transfers and New Delhi
later said the sanctions were “not justified.”
08/02/06 — A senior Indian official said that India will bypass Bangladesh in building
a proposed pipeline that will bring gas from Burma to India’s
northeastern states.
07/28/06 — Bombay police said that six suspects detained in connection with the 7/11
Bombay bombings confessed to having received weapons and explosives
training in Pakistan.
07/27/06 — Press reports said that the Bush Administration would sanction two Indian
firms under the Iran Nonproliferation Act for missile-related transactions
with Iran. Some in Congress later criticized the Administration for
“deliberately concealing the information” until after the House vote on
H.R. 5682. On the same day, Prime Minister Singh told the Parliament
that India could withdraw from planned civil nuclear cooperation with the
United States if the U.S. legislative process creates a plan inconsistent
with the original July 2005 agreement. A State Department official later
said the Bush Administration will seek to ensure that nothing is done to
“distort, change, and renegotiate” the July 2005 agreement.
07/26/06 — H.R. 5682, the United States and India Nuclear Cooperation
Promotion Act of 2006, was passed by the House on a vote of 359-68.
07/25/06 — Indian troops shot dead three suspected separatist militants as they tried
to cross the LOC into Indian Kashmir. The fighting injured five civilians.

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CRS-6
07/24/06 — The Doha round of global trade negotiations was suspended
indefinitely following a failed meeting of the six major participants,
including the United States and India. Commerce Minister Nath later
blamed the United States for the failure, saying it “brought nothing new
to the table.” On the same day, senior political figures from four major
Indian political parties urged Parliament to pass a resolution rejecting the
U.S.-India civil nuclear cooperation deal.
07/23/06 — Iran’s foreign minister said “some specific difficulties” must be worked
out before India and Iran can move forward with a $22 billion natural gas
deal. On the same day, police in the southern Andhra Pradesh state shot
dead eight Maoist militants, including a top rebel leader.
07/22/06 — Kenyan police announced the arrest of Abdul Karim “Tunda,” said to be
a founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist group’s Indian operation. On
the same day, police in Kashmir claimed to have arrested a senior member
of the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist group. Also, police arrested four more
persons in connection with the 7/11 Bombay bombings.
07/21/06 — New Delhi rejected Pakistan’s offer to assist in investigating the 7/11
Bombay bombings, saying Islamabad had not taken action in the past
when presented with evidence of terrorist networks on its soil. Pakistan
denied the allegations. On the same day, Indian troops shot dead five
suspected separatist militants in Kashmir.
07/20/06 — Police made their first arrests in connection with the 7/11 Bombay
bombings, detaining three Indian Muslims.
07/19/06 — H.Res. 911, condemning “in the strongest possible terms” the 7/11
terrorist attacks in Bombay and expressing condolences to the families of
the victims and sympathy to the people of India, was passed by the House.
On the same day, the president of the opposition BJP said the stipulations
of proposed U.S.-India civil nuclear cooperation would “cap” India’s
nuclear program and “keep India in perpetual bondage to Washington.”
Also, Pakistani and Indian security officials met in Lahore for regular talks
on cooperative efforts on border security and counternarcotics.
07/18/06 — The Senate Energy Committee held a hearing on U.S.-India Energy
Cooperation. On the same day, Pakistani President Musharraf said
delaying the India-Pakistan peace process because of the 7/11 Bombay
bombings was “playing into the hands of the terrorists.”
07/17/06 — President Bush met with Prime Minister Singh on the sidelines of the
G-8 Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, to discuss the 7/11 Bombay
bombings and planned U.S.-India civil nuclear cooperation. On the same
day, at least 26 villagers were killed, and another 21 injured, in a raid by
some 500 Maoist militants in the central Chhattisgarh state.
07/16/06 — India postponed planned foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan,
saying “the environment is not conducive.” A Pakistani official called the
decision a “negative development” and denied that Pakistani territory was
used for terrorism against India. On the same day, Defense Minister
Mukherjee said terrorists were entering India from Pakistan. Also, the
Dhaka government accused Indian border troops of killing more than 50
innocent Bangladeshis in the past six months. Indian officials said those
shot were smugglers or illegal migrants.
07/15/06 — Foreign Secretary Saran said the 7/11 Bombay bombings made it “very
difficult to take forward the peace process” with Pakistan.

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