US Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell arrived in Islamabad today on his third South
Asia peace mission in less than a year, after urging India to do more to ease tension in its military standoff with Pakistan.
Mr Powell said before talks earlier in the day with Indian leaders the situation had "improved considerably" in the past month since the neighbours drew back from the brink of war after a pledge by Pakistan to halt militant infiltration into Indian Kashmir. But he said it remained tense.
Mr Powell said pro-Pakistan militants continued to slip into India's Jammu and Kashmir state, though their numbers had fallen.
"We look to India to take further de-escalatory actions as Pakistan makes good on its pledges to permanently cease support for infiltration," he said.
At the same time, he said: "It is important that infiltration comes to an end so that we can create conditions that will allow dialogue, to allow both sides to gain confidence in one another once again".
In Islamabad, Mr Powell was to meet Junior Foreign Minister Mr Inamul Haq and military ruler President Pervez Musharraf.
Powell flew into India on Saturday after declaring his intention to seek talks - or at least talks about talks - on Kashmir, the region at the core of the seven-month-old standoff.