National Security Adviser A.K. Doval will raise the issue of U.S. snooping in India with his American interlocutors in Washington, a senior official said on Saturday.
India has already protested against U.S. agencies snooping on senior BJP leaders when they were not in power, with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj raising the issue with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in August.
Mr. Doval will also discuss details of how India and the U.S. propose to move ahead with the dismantling of safe havens for terrorists, the official said.
A joint statement issued after the recent Narendra Modi-Barack Obama meeting had stressed the “need for joint and concerted efforts, including the dismantling of safe havens for terrorist and criminal networks, to disrupt all financial and tactical support for networks such as al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, the D-Company, and the Haqqanis”.
It is in this context that Mr. Doval’s meetings with his American counterparts assume significance. “He [Mr. Doval] is right there, right now and he might be discussing details,” the official stressed.
India is also not insisting on the principle of reciprocity as demonstrated by the unilateral extension of visa-on-arrival facility to American nationals announced during Mr. Modi’s visit.
“We are not looking at this [visa issue] in reciprocal terms,” the official said, adding it was a decision taken in the Indian interest when asked about issues facing by Indians visiting the U.S.
Published - October 05, 2014 02:44 am IST
