15:10/26:04:2010

At the head of a high-powered delegation, President Hamid Karzai Monday left for New Delhi for talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on issues of bilateral interest.

The objective behind the trip is to strengthen the joint anti-terrorism campaign and further boost bilateral cooperation in the various fields, the Presidential Palace said in a statement.

Accompanied by his Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Zalmai Rassoul and National Security Advisor Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta, the president will meet the Indian prime minister , foreign minister and other high-ranking officials.

Playing a major role in Afghanistan 's reconstruction, particularly in the field of education, India is providing 1,000 scholarships annually to Afghanistan .

At the end of his visit to India , Karzai will leave for Bhutan to participate in the 16 th summit of the   South   Asian Association for   Regional Cooperation   (SAARC) .

In his speech to the summit, scheduled for April 28-29 in Thimphu, Karzai will highlight Afghanistan 's economic growth and development over the past eight years and the challenges still facing the war-devastated country.

Heads of state and government from Afghanistan , Bangladesh , Bhutan , India , the Maldives , Nepal , Pakistan and Sri Lanka are attending the summit. (PAN)