Obama will be the first US President to attend the Republic Day parade on January 26 as a sign of the reinforced ties between India and the US. This new strategic partnership was launched with last year’s visit of Indian PM Narendra Modi to the US. During the visit, the two leaders expressed their commitment to expand cooperation in wide variety of mutually beneficial areas.
American and Indian security services are taking precautionary measures ahead of the event, as Obama will spend some two hours at an open-air tribune on Rajpath boulevard in New Delhi.
The United States addressed Pakistan with an insistent plea to make sure that terrorist activity in the region would be effectively suppressed during the ceremonial event. If any terrorist attack happens is traced to the territory of Pakistan, the nation might face severe ‘consequences‘, some sources say, according to the Times of India.
Some sources note the unprecedented scale of cooperation between the US and Indian intelligence services ahead of Obama’s visit. Approximately 80,000 Delhi police will ensure security at the event, and some 10,000 paramilitary troops will be joining them. The airspace over Rajpath will also be monitored by SIGINT systems, sources say.
