SI | STOP-Imperialism.com

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is set to leave on a four-day US visit from Tuesday to discuss the Indo-US logistics exchange agreement, the increasing Daesh influence in Afghanistan, Chinese assertiveness in the seas and cross-border terrorism among other topics.

During his visit, Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will meet US Defense Secretary James Mattis and his counterpart HR McMaster.

Home Ministry sources said Doval and McMaster are likely to discuss the situations in Afghanistan-Pakistan and the rise of Daesh in Afghanistan. India will also raise the issue of cross-border terrorism. Apart from that, Doval is expected to appraise his US counterpart McMaster about the recent terror attacks in Pakistan and how Pakistan-based terror groups could pose a grave danger to Islamabad’s nuclear installations.

In his meeting with US Defense Secretary James Mattis, Doval is expected to raise the logistics exchange agreement. “One of the major areas of discussion between Doval and Mattis will be the implementation of the Logistics Exchange Agreement which India signed with the US earlier. According to the agreement, both countries can use each other’s military facilities,” Defense Ministry sources told Sputnik. The two are also likely to discuss increasing Chinese assertiveness in the Indian Ocean region.

“This visit is the first agenda-specific visit by any senior Indian official. Early visits were mainly for establishing a rapport with the new Trump administration. Now, India will have a discussion on the key issues of Afghanistan, Pakistan and China. During the talks, India will try to gauge the Trump administration’s views on these issues, which matter most to India,” P.K. Mishra, Senior Fellow in the New Delhi-based thinktank, Vivekananda International Foundation, told reporters.

“The main problem for India is that, so far the Trump administration has not clearly specified its policies towards Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and, moreover, on cross-border terrorism. The rise of Daesh in neighbouring Afghanistan and Bangladesh is a matter of grave concern for India. In fact, India needs support from the US to contain the growth of Daesh in Afghanistan,” said Mishra.