WASHINGTON, May 19: The Pakistani and Indian ambassadors were separately called to meetings with Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca on Friday, it was learnt here on Sunday.

Ms Rocca, who had just returned to Washington after short visits to India and Pakistan, was said to have briefed the envoys on her trip and expressed continued American concern over the escalating tensions between the two countries.

The United States has been urging restraint on India, which has been increasing the temperature in the region by a series of aggressive moves since the militant attack on an army camp last Tuesday in which 32 people were killed. New Delhi on Saturday asked the Pakistan high commissioner to leave, and Indian and Pakistani troops have been engaged for three days in artillery duels across the Line of Control.

Washington, worried about a conflict, has been asking the two sides to open a dialogue and refrain from provocative actions. Secretary of State Colin Powell has been in regular touch with Gen Pervez Musharraf and the Indian foreign minister, and Ms Rocca’s meetings with Pakistan ambassador Maleeha Lodhi and Indian envoy Lalit Mansingh should be seen as part of US efforts to roll back the crisis between the two countries.