Work with India, US tells Pakistan

Advising Pakistan to be "resolute" in the fight against terror, the Bush Administration has asked the country to cooperate with India to "effectively" reduce the threat from Kashmiri militant groups.

"Our advice to the government of Pakistan is to be resolute in fighting terrorism, is to use every ounce of effort that they can possibly muster to go after the terrorist cells in Pakistan," Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns told CNN Tuesday.

He said the US has asked Pakistan "...also to work with Afghanistan effectively and frankly, also to work with India effectively to reduce the threat from the Kashmiri separatist groups, many of whom have been responsible for terrorist attacks in India."

"So this is a responsibility that all of us have. It's a major problem in South Asia. And it is one in which the United States has a direct and abiding interest," he added.

The senior administration official also tried to take the sting out of the public comments made by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai against each another over the last few days.

"I wouldn't make too much of this. The fact is that the Afghan and Pakistani governments must work together. They are facing a common threat... and we are working directly with them on a tripartite basis, both militarily and diplomatically, to deal with this problem," he said.

"So I think it would be a mistake to make too much of comments that are made from time to time. It's much more important to focus and to use every ounce of energy of these two governments to help the United States deal with this threat in the region," Burns said. Asked if Pakistan was doing "everything" it should be in the war on terror, Burns said, "I think all of us believe that we have an obligation towards fighting terrorism. We have an obligation to be as effective as we can.

"And in the case of Pakistan, we are providing a considerable amount of US assistance and have been for years to help President Musharraf and his government deal with this threat," he said.

"The threat exists, of course, on the other side of the border. And one of the problems is that the Taliban sometimes seek refuge in Pakistan. They go back and forth across the border," Burns said.