Manmohan-Obama talks amid diplomatic rift?

Washington: The last time Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived here in Washington for a state visit he was given the red carpet treatment by the Obama administration.

However, Sunday's bilateral meeting takes place against a very different backdrop. PM Singh and President Obama's meeting on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security summit comes at a time where skeptics - both in India and the US - have argued that the US-India relationship is going through a rough patch.

India wants to interrogate US citizen David Coleman Headley, charged with scouting targets for the 2008 attacks in Mumbai but has so far been unable to do so causing a diplomatic rift with the United States.

Just days ago the Wall Street Journal reported that President Obama in a secret directive has asked his administration to increase diplomatic efforts to make India seriously engage with Pakistan. This report has only added credibility to those who believe that Washington is favoring Pakistan, over India in order to win its war in Afghanistan.

The United states has also recently announced it is providing Pakistan with sophisticated weaponry that New Delhi believes one day be used against India.

And last but not the least, almost two years after the signing of the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement while a reprocessing agreement between the two has been arrived at, liability legislation is still to be cleared by Parliament. Without this, US companies that are eyeing the lucrative Indian nuclear market have not been able to reap the benefits of nuclear trade with India.

"The Obama-Singh visit is very important because it is a chance for Obama to reassure Indian in a sense particularly on the issues of Afghanistan and Pakistan. There has been concern in India that the US is following the vision of Pakistan in the region or is willing to outsource Afghanistan to Pakistan, so it is a time for President Obama to indicate that the US is not moving in this direction and indeed it takes Indian interests into account as it is formulating its policies in the region," said Lisa Curtis, South-Asia Expert, The Heritage Foundation.

While the meeting at the White House is unlikely to last more than an hour, the fact that it has been scheduled for Sunday - the eve of the Nuclear Security Summit perhaps reflects the keenness on the part of both India and the US to tackle strategic issues where the two countries have common interests but lack complimentary policies.