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O 160528Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
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INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 7875

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 000746 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER MOPS PK IN
SUBJECT: HOLBROOKE-MULLEN VISIT TO INDIA: OPINION LEADERS 
SUPPORT AF-PAK STRATEGY, CLOSE RELATIONSHIP 
 
¶1. (SBU) Senior Indian officials welcomed the new U.S. 
strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan in a series of meetings 
in Delhi April 8 with visiting Special Representative for 
Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador Richard Holbrooke and 
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen. 
(The delegation also included National Secuity Council Senior 
Director for South Asia Donald Camp, Major General Burton 
Field, and Special Advisor to Under Secretary of Defense for 
Policy Vikram Singh, in addition to Ambassador Holbrooke and 
Admiral Mullen's staffs.)  Details of these meetings with 
Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, National Security 
Advisor M.K. Narayanan, and Ambassador S.K. Lambah (the Prime 
Minister's Special Representative for Afghanistan) are 
reported septel.  In addition, the visiting delegation 
attended a round-table with Indian opinion makers and 
business leaders hosted by Confederation of Indian Industry 
(CII) Chief Mentor Tarun Das, which provided a range of 
informed views on the region. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Ambassador Holbrooke lauded increased international 
cooperation on Afghanistan and reiterated his pledge to keep 
India abreast of developments in Afghanistan and Pakistan. 
Admiral Mullen solicited views on Delhi's perspective on U.S. 
efforts in the region, including an evaluation of successes 
and failures.  Indian guests praised the Afghanistan-Pakistan 
Strategic Review for its broad, regional focus, underscoring 
the importance of understanding entrenched alliances in the 
region, especially between Pashtun clans and the Taliban. 
CII Chief Mentor Tarun Das commented that these linkages were 
most dangerous within the Pakistan Army, which included 
approximately 25 percent Pashtun soldiers.  This has lead 
Indians to doubt that military equipment donated to the 
Pakistan army has been used by the Army alone.  Several 
strategists indicated they had noticed an alarming trend 
toward increased religiosity in the military, even among 
Punjabi soldiers.  T.N. Ninan, Editor of the Business 
Standard, warned that the extent of the trend could become 
tantamount to a religious revolution in Pakistan.  Others 
recommended that the U.S. seek China's support to deliver a 
joint "enough is enough" message against the military's 
rising religious fundamentalism and linkages with the 
Taliban.  The group echoed the Indian Foreign Ministry's 
consistent theme that reform of Pakistan's military 
establishment was central to any effort to stabilize 
Pakistan. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Ambassador Holbrooke and Admiral Mullen welcomed 
input on increasing India's role in reconstruction efforts in 
Afghanistan.  Indian guests speculated that the U.S. and NATO 
needed to build up the Afghan army before India would 
consider sending additional human resources beyond the 4,000 
Indians on the ground in Afghanistan.  Regarding aid 
projects, Tarun Das commented that India "gets more bang for 
the buck" at the grassroots level in Afghanistan and could 
advise the U.S. and other donors on best practices.  All 
attendees agreed that agricultural development was essential 
to success in Afghanistan, which could benefit from the 
entire subcontinent as its export market.  Participants 
suggested that India's contribution could extend beyond 
development to include military training.  To circumvent 
Pakistani insecurities, Afghan security forces could train in 
India. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Several participants emphasized that the Af-Pak 
issue should be only one aspect of the strategic Indo-U.S. 
relationship, which involves the shared goal of regional 
stability.  The participants agreed the Civil Nuclear 
Initiative and increased defense cooperation forged a "real" 
bilateral relationship on which the Obama administration 
should build.  The next steps include moving forward on civil 
nuclear cooperation, the Bilateral Investment Treaty, and an 
End-Use Monitoring agreement.   Participants agreed that 
improved U.S.-India relations were not motivated by a desire 
to counter China's influence in Asia, participants alluded to 
"deep concerns" over their neighbor's regional ambitions and 
suggested that the U.S. should be wary of China's assertive 
 
NEW DELHI 00000746  002 OF 002 
 
 
policies. 
 
¶5. (U) Ambassador Holbrooke cleared this message. 
 
 
BURLEIGH