CIA chief due with heavy agenda

ISLAMABAD - Chief of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Leon E Panetta will visit Pakistan in the next few days with plans seeking an important role for India in the US counter-terrorism efforts for the region.
Though there has been no word from the US Embassy, credible diplomatic sources told TheNation on Sunday that Panetta in line with US AfPak policy for Afghanistan and Pakistan would discuss these proposals with Pakistani authorities during his upcoming visit.
Sources were of the view that Pakistan had previously resisted such moves tooth and nail and not agreed to give a free hand to its archrival India in Afghanistan. Pakistan had insisted on a bilateral mechanism evolved by Islamabad and New Delhi to fight terrorism jointly, the sources added.
Since the US AfPak policy envisages greater role of regional powers in counter-terrorism efforts, Pakistan has stepped up its attempts to woo the support of major powers other than India including China, Russia and Iran to tackle the problem of terrorism and extremism effectively.
Defence analysts here were of the view that the recent summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) held in Moscow had created an opportunity for Pakistan to get support of Russian Federation and China to tackle the problem effectively. They also viewed the daylong visit of the Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani to Russia on Sunday as significant development in this regard. Kayani also visited Germany, an important Nato member, last week.