ISLAMABAD, Jan 2: Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's lead adviser on foreign policy is in town, keeping a close watch on the progress being made in the preparatory process ahead of the 12th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc).

The three-day summit that begins in Islamabad on Sunday will bring together leaders of the seven nation regional association. Mr Mishra, who is the National Security Adviser to Mr Vajpayee, arrived here on Thursday afternoon along with Mr Yashwant Sinha in a special plane.

His special arrival ahead of the official delegation raises hopes for a bilateral meeting between Vajpayee and Musharraf. According to initial plans, Mr Mishra was to arrive here with Mr Vajpayee on the eve of the summit.

His earlier arrival here is significant given that he is very close to the Indian Prime Minister and is widely seen as his "trusted man." More importantly, he is considered to be central in India's policy towards Pakistan.

"Mishra has been a key adviser to the prime minister in all his initiatives towards Pakistan from the Lahore bus trip in 1999 down to the Srinagar peace offer last April," a report in The Times of India said on Friday. His arrival here on Thursday is being read in certain circles as a signal that something positive is happening on the bilateral track.

"He (Mishra) is here to perhaps finalize certain important matters," sources close to the Indian camp told Dawn on Friday, saying he was the man who cleared all important documents.

While there was talk about Mr Mishra have some important meetings in the capital, there was no official word on it from either the Pakistani or the Indian side. Both remained tight-lipped when contacted by Dawn on Friday. Foreign Office spokesman said he had no idea.

The spokesman of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said: "I don't know his programme, I have not even met him." Based at the Prime Minister's Office Mr Mishra was also seen as the architect of India's detente with China.

Meanwhile, the Indian foreign secretary, Mr Sheshank, talking to journalists at the Indian Media Centre said: "Things were moving very fast," hinting that a bilateral meeting may be in the offing. Prime Minister Vajpayee is scheduled to arrive here for the summit on the evening of Jan 3.