President Barack Obama said Thursday he and his family members will visit India in early November, as the US leader works to deepen U.S. ties with New Delhi on issues ranging from terrorism and nuclear proliferation to trade. Obama, who broke with protocol by attending a reception at the State Department for Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna on Thursday evening, called India a rising power and a responsible global power. He made no such appearance when Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi led Pakistan's delegation at meetings related to the strategic dialogue with US in Washington last March. Nor did Obama, while welcoming the Indian foreign minister on Thursday, say whether he had any plans to visit Pakistan, whom the U.S. routinely calls a key partner in the war on terrorism. Political observers here were struck by Obama's branding of India as a "responsible power", given New Delhi's defiance of United Nations resolutions, its acts of aggression against neighbouring countries and a dismal human rights record, especially in Kashmir. Nevertheless President Obama told Krishna that India is indispensable to the future the U.S. seeks. Krishna and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who joined Obama at the event, are leading a set of strategic talks on relations between the two countries. The opening session of Thursday's talks touched on the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008, with Krishna saying it would be a logical next step for the U.S. to allow India access to individuals detained in connection with the assault. The Indian minister praised a decision to deepen cooperation on trade and moves to liberalize U.S. export controls that apply to India. The so-called strategic dialogue will also encompass agriculture, education and environmental and clean-energy technologies, an area where Krishna said the U.S. and India should collaborate. Krishna also pledged to continue Indian support for development in Afghanistan, where Obama is widening U.S. military involvement in an attempt to weaken the Taliban and bolster the elected government. The Obama administration went out of its way this week to assure India that it is committed to its relationship with the rising Asian power and is not distracted by problems in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Tthe reception, Obama said there was no doubt in his mind that he had to make a trip to India. "I am proud to go to India," he said. Indian officials have been saying that there is a prevalent sense in India that the Obama administration has been less attentive to the relationship and is more focused on Pakistan and Afghanistan. Mrs. Clinton sought to address those concerns, describing the U.S.-India relationship as "an affair of the heart, not just of the head." But she noted the unease in India, saying it is important to "frankly address doubts that remain on both sides. Doubts among some Indians that the United States only sees India, or mainly sees India, in the context of Afghanistan and Pakistan, or that we will hasten our departure from Afghanistan leaving India to deal with the aftermath." She added that there were doubts in the U.S. that "India has not fully embraced its role in regional and global affairs, or will not make the economic reforms needed to foster additional progress."