CIA chief to visit India,LeT,Afghanistan on agenda

Also,sources said,the two sides need to carry forward their conversation on Afghanistan with the election impasse having ended in incumbent Hamid Karzai’s favour. Indian assets in Afghanistan remain under constant threat just as US installations. There have been efforts to target the missions of both the countries in Kabul.

Significantly,the visit is planned for November 20-22,before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh leaves for Washington on a state visit. Both sides have been exploring ways to intensify counter-terror cooperation through deeper interaction between intelligence and security agencies.

India was Panetta’s first destination when he assumed office earlier this year. This is his second visit and he is expected to discuss ways of expanding intelligence sharing,which is vital for India given that US agencies are well entrenched in Pakistan.

During his stay,Panetta is expected to meet Home Minister P Chidambaram. Besides,he will hold detailed talks with National Security Advisor M K Narayanan,RAW chief K C Verma and director of Intelligence Bureau (IB) Rajiv Mathur.

Though an IB team is in the US these days for gathering more details on the Headley case from an Indian standpoint,sources said,India would like to hear from the CIA director his assessment of the case,the overall situation in Pakistan and the activities of anti-India terror groups like the LeT.

The CIA has been pushing for stepping up cooperation with India from a larger standpoint of fashioning US response to the region,be it Nepal,Bangladesh,Sri Lanka or Myanmar. China,sources added,is another important country on which both sides would exchange notes.