With the Afghanistan-Pakistan (AfPak) strategy as the focus,top ranking Senator and chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee John Kerry is flying into New Delhi on Sunday evening. Sources told The Sunday Express that Kerry would meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday afternoon. This will be followed by meetings with Defence Minister A K Antony and National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon. He will leave for Islamabad on Monday night. Kerry had last come to India in December 2008 in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks and was one of the top US lawmakers to meet the Indian leadership urging restraint in response to Pakistan. This is his first visit to India after taking charge in January 2009 as the chair of the Senate committee which has a major say in the formulation of the US foreign policy. Kerry's visit assumes significance in the wake of two recent developments in the past few weeks - first,the nuancing of Indian position on reconciliation with moderate Taliban and second,India's decision to talk to Pakistan. Both these issues have been crucial to US's AfPak strategy and Kerry's meetings with Singh and Menon are being seen as the key in consultations on this issue. On the issue of reconciliation with moderate Taliban,sources said New Delhi would once again make it clear that the talks with those amongst the Taliban who "abjure violence" and agree to follow the rule of law should be "Afghan-led". However,India will also make it clear that it will not condone the en bloc movement of the Taliban to the Afghan government,and will look at elements case by case. This,according to the sources,have been articulated by Indian interlocutors to international partners in Afghanistan in the run-up to the London conference last month. On the issue of talks with Pakistan,Kerry will be told that while India would focus on terrorism,it would also raise other issues pertaining to drug-trafficking,prisoners and trade.
