KARACHI, 19 October — With the visit to Pakistan of US Secretary of State Colin Powell, a firm step has been taken to re-establish Pakistan-America ties on a durable footing but expectations that this very crucial encounter would help ease tensions between the two South Asian rivals were not immediately realized.

On the contrary, Colin Powell arrived in New Delhi from Islamabad to deliver a message that was somewhat at variance from what he had told his Pakistani hosts. And to make matters worse, Indian forces fired on Pakistani posts across the southern borders of its part of the disputed territory of Kashmir almost at the time of Powell’s arrival in Islamabad on Monday evening. Observers said this was the heaviest shelling in a long time.

However, the joint press conference addressed on Tuesday by President Pervez Musharraf and the US secretary of state reflected a further cementing of bonds between the two countries against the backdrop of Pakistan’s unstinted support to the international coalition against terrorism. As military action continues in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s role as the front-line state has won active American support, particularly because of the violent opposition to this role by the country’s religious militants.

The two countries exchanged major concessions to strengthen their present cooperation as Washington agreed to a broad based post-Taleban government in Kabul "with some moderate elements of Taleban included" and Islamabad extended support to the US for "as long as it took to achieve the desired result". Military-to-military ties, it was affirmed, would be restored. Powell dwelt on the need for shoring up Pakistan’s economy.

But what certainly gladdened the Pakistan heart was Powell’s admission that Kashmir is "central" to relations between Pakistan and India. Musharraf said that Powell had also indicated the willingness of the US to "play a role" in the resolution of differences between the two countries. India promptly rejected the US secretary of state’s comment and its Foreign Ministry, in a statement issued shortly before Powell landed in New Delhi on Tuesday evening, said that "terrorism" sponsored by Pakistan and not Kashmir itself was the problem.

Indeed, the reception accorded to the important visitor in the Indian capital was seen to be glum. Defense Minister George Fernandes also issued warnings that Indian forces could step up attacks on militants in Kashmir and engage Pakistan along the Line of Control with "no holds barred". It thus became a tightrope walk for Powell and he underplayed his remarks in Islamabad when he addressed a press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday with Minister of External Affairs Jaswant Singh. In addition, he said that the American campaign was directed against all terrorism, including terrorism against India.

Since both South Asian countries, armed with nuclear weapons, are fervent supporters of the US-led campaign, their enmity over Kashmir has often alarmed and even baffled their common friends. After the two countries traded fire across the Kashmir border, President George Bush was quick to ask them to "stand down". "It is very important that India and Pakistan stand down during our activities in Afghanistan, for that matter, for ever," Bush told reporters at the White House. He noted that Powell was in South Asia to talk to both sides to make sure there was no tension.

Irrespective of the prominence gained by the Kashmir dispute at this time, Powell’s visit was meant to search for common ground on the question of a post-Taleban government in Afghanistan that could lead to peace and security in the country. There have been indications that the US would not make a decisive military push to dislodge the Taleban until there was a political consensus among anti-Taleban forces on the future setup in Afghanistan. Observers say the US approach is the dictated by advice from some of its allies that a power vacuum would lead to a worse situation in Afghanistan.

On the face of it, Pakistan and the US have agreed on their post-Taleban strategy after discussions held during Powell’s visit. It was, however, made clear that the US had not given either Pakistan or India a veto on the formation of the next government in Afghanistan.