US to allow India more access to Headley

In an important step forward in the global strategic partnership between India and the United States, Home Minister P Chidambaram and Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano met on Friday to discuss a wide range security issues. The minister-level dialogue follows an announcement to the effect by US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November 2010.

While expressing satisfaction over the mutual cooperation in counter-terrorism and related security cooperation and both the leaders committed their governments to sharing of information on the 26/11 attacks. The leaders called for initiatives from all countries to dismantle the infrastructure for terrorism.

Napolitano refused to comment on the involvement of the ISI on the 26/11 attacks but assured India of more “access” to David Coleman Headley, one of the co-conspirators in the attack. In his testimony in a Chicago court, Headley has made damning revelations against the ISI and its military establishment.

“The US has given India full access to the witness and when the case is over there will probably be more access given. When the case is on it is not appropriate to comment on what happened there,” she said.

She declined to comment when asked whether the US would use its influence on Pakistan for the prosecution of Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafeez fiz Sayeed, the masterminded in the Mumbai attack of 2008.

“Secretary of State (Hillary Clinton) is in Pakistan today and I leave the comments about Pakistan to her. She will make some comment,” she said. She said the Indo-US partnership is  partnership is going to intensify in the months and years to come".