India is trying to play down the visit of US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.

Armitage, who is currently in Islamabad, will reach New Delhi on Friday evening with Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca in tow.

He will meet the top brass of the government and opposition leader Sonia Gandhi during his two-day trip.

His meeting with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has been slated for Saturday evening and he will depart from India a few hours later.

President Pervez Musharraf has assured him that there are no terrorist camps left in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and even if there are any they would be 'dismantled tomorrow', Armitage said in Islamabad on Thursday.

"If Armitage has bought that argument (that there aren't any camps remaining in PoK) then there is hardly anything that we can discuss," a government official said in New Delhi.

According to Indian intelligence agencies, there are almost 1,500 terrorists in various camps in PoK. "They are ready to be launched. These people are in several buildings; some of them quite big establishments. How can Musharraf say that there aren't any terrorist camps?" asked the official.

The Ministry of External Affairs is doing the groundwork for Saturday's interaction with Armitage. On Friday the home ministry is expected to provide its latest assessment to the MEA.

Armitage and Rocca will meet a select group of analysts and other invitees over dinner during their stay. But the success of their trip will depend on what 'specifics' they are able to convey to the Indian government. Another official said, "The prime minister has taken tremendous risk to launch the new initiative. He will not give into mere assurances."

Indications are that India will prefer a 'slow and calibrated' move towards peace, so even a high-level summit may not happen very soon. Vajpayee told Parliament on Thursday that the initiatives are only preparations for a dialogue.

More than ever in the past, Vajpayee is facing stiff resistance from within the Cabinet, with even Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani advising caution.

Intelligence agencies have warned that there is hardly any change on the ground in Kashmir. If anything, violence has only gone up in recent days.

"It would be foolish to expect any major shift in our policy or ground situation with Armitage's visit," an intelligence officer said.

He also voiced fears of a major attack in Kashmir during Armitage's visit. There have been several terrorist attacks calibrated to coincide with the visit of peacemakers to the subcontinent.