New Delhi, January 17: When India meets the US in London tomorrow, two issues are likely to stand out from the complex tangle in bilateral ties : New Delhi's concerns over the ``nexus'' between Pakistan and terrorism and, whether President Bill Clinton will also go to Islamabad during his South Asian trip in March.Not for nine rounds has Pakistan taken centre-stage in talks between India and the US, a ``strategic dialogue'' that focussed on resolving differences on the nuclear issue, since they began soon after the Pokharan tests in mid-1998.But with Prime Minister Vajpayee's recent assertion that the US must take the lead in declaring Pakistan a ``terrorist state,'' Islamabad is likely to intrude with a vengeance during the tenth dialogue round between External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh and his interlocutor, US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott beginning in London tomorrow.Significantly, though, the US pointperson for South Asia in the State department Rick Inderfurth will be travellingto Islamabad along with the chief US counter-terrorism official Michael Sheehan, soon after the Singh-Talbott talks end in London.New Delhi seems to be drawing some hope from this visit, especially since Sheehan is going, and sources here said they hoped the American officials would read the riot act to Islamabad.Sheehan, who has been named by the US to co-chair the joint working group on terrorism with India, has actually named Islamabad as providing direct ``material support'' to terrorists in India.Officially, the ministry spokesman today was cautious. ``We trust that Pakistan's support for terrorism and the fact that there is international terrorism emanating from there, could have something to do with Ambassador Sheehan's visit,'' he said simply, adding, ``but we don't want to anticipate the outcome.'' Back in London tomorrow, both Singh and Talbott have the full, high table of issues to confront, such as an Indian signature on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, expanding trade and commerce, thedefence posture and export controls.But in the wake of the Kargil invasion and the hijacking of IC-814, where New Delhi sees the direct ``hand'' of Islamabad, US relations with Pakistan have begun to acquire a whole new dimension here.So much so that a possible stopover by Clinton in Islamabad has the potential of turning the entire Indo-US relationship on its head. New Delhi feels that Washington must publicly criticise the linkages between Pakistan and terrorism and acknowledge that New Delhi is bearing the brunt of it.``We would like the US to see that terrorism is not a unidimensional thing limited to Osama bin Laden, but a far more complex and tangled web,'' sources said.Certainly, the Singh-Talbott talks could be described as a key meeting that will significantly influence the future course of political ties with Washington. US Treasury secretary Larry Summers begins his visit to the capital on Tuesday.
