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P Jayaram in New Delhi
Fresh from his talks with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, United States Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday evening on a delicate mission that seeks to ensure that New Delhi did not do anything to distract the ongoing military action in Afghanistan.
Powell has a tough task in assuaging New Delhi's feeling over what it sees as Pakistan's continuing sponsorship of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, whose ownership is questioned by Islamabad.
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had already told US President George W Bush that India's patience with Pakistan was running out.
Powell's visit to the subcontinent is a direct result of that warning, which followed the devastating suicide bombing of the Jammu and Kashmir assembly in Srinagar on October 1 that left 38 people dead and over 70 injured.
An indication of New Delhi's determination to take a hard stand against Pakistan came on the eve of Powell's visit when Indian troops smashed a dozen Pakistani border posts in Jammu and Kashmir, killing what it said were nearly a dozen armed raiders.
Powell was to meet with External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh shortly after his arrival on Tuesday and would be his guest at a dinner.
He will hold talks with Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani on Wednesday morning before the two of them sign a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, seen here as 'another step forward' in bilateral cooperation in law enforcement and counter-terrorism.
He will also hold talks with Brajesh Mishra, principal secretary to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and meet with Leader of Opposition Sonia Gandhi.
He will call on Vajpayee and address a joint press conference with Jaswant Singh before leaving for China to attend a meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation group.
Indo-Asian News Service
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