Holbrooke meets CII chief mentor

New Delhi, Apr 8 (ANI): United States Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke met Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) chief mentor Tarun Das here on Wednesday.

The Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, was also present.

The meeting assumed significance in view of the top US officials huddling with India strategy group of CII over Indo-US cooperation in reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Holbrooke, along with Mullen, are expected to meet Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon and National Security Advisor M. K. Narayanan later in the day.

Holbrooke arrived here late last night and is expected to brief the Indian leadership about his recent visit to Pakistan and President Obama's new strategy on Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The threat of terrorism originating from Afghanistan and Pakistan will form the core of discussions between the two sides.

This is Holbrooke's second visit to New Delhi after taking up his new assignment.

Amid reports that the Pakistani Army is attempting to neutralise the effects of this new American strategy, India's role in supplementing US efforts to defeat terrorism has assumed importance.

During his first visit to India, Holbrooke had described the Taliban as a 'common threat' to the US, India and Pakistan. (ANI)