Anti-terror pact on PM's agenda

Washington: As Mumbai marks a grim anniversary this week, prime minister Manmohan SinghManmohan Singh reminds Washington that the perpetrators of the 26/11 attacks roam free in Pakistan.

By all rights, the US and India should be bound together by the shared tragedies of 9/11 and last year's terrorist attacks in Mumbai. But to India's dismay, Washington has given only perfunctory support to India in pushing Pakistan to prosecute the perpetrators of 26/11.

Singh will urge his hosts anew to put pressure on the Pakistanis to do more. India also wants the US to be more forthcoming in sharing intelligence and assist in terror-related investigations in India.

Singh will make fighting terror the main agenda during talks with president Barack Obama, speaker Nancy PelosiNancy Pelosi, defence secretary Robert M Gates and other officials.
The US and India may also sign a pact on stepping up cooperation on counter-terrorism, a year after 10 gunmen held Mumbai hostage.

"It takes two to tango. The Americans have been forthcoming after 26/11in sharing intelligence but it is crucial to enhance such cooperation in dealing with terrorist violence and to make sure terror-related investigations don't hit snags," an Indian official told DNA.

"We are looking at an agreement that could involve exchanging and stationing more intelligence personnel in the two countries. We are also seeking technology to counter terrorism, the National Investigation Agency is looking at US equipment to trace the location of mobile phone calls," he added.

America's National Security Agency has an expensive programme that analyses calling patterns in an effort to detect terrorist activity. It has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth.

Even with the expected push in broadening the contours of counter-terrorism cooperation, it isn't clear where the two countries stand regarding extradition issues. US ambassador Timothy Roemer, however, declined to discuss how Washington would react to any extradition request by New Delhi for the two arrested Chicago suspects, David Coleman Headley and Tahawwur Hussain RanaHussain Rana but he does say investigators are in constant contact.