WASHINGTON, May 25: The US administration has stepped up pressure on Gen Pervez Musharraf to halt ‘cross-border infiltration’, and hopes that such a step will be followed by a pullback of many of the one million troops deployed by Pakistan and India along their border, according to a leading US paper.

The Washington Post, in a long report on Saturday, said after a stand down of troops, the two countries would be encouraged to resume political talks to resolve underlying disputes, including the status of Kashmir.

Although US diplomats have not directly linked a Pakistani crackdown on militants to the opening of discussions on Kashmir, a senior administration official, according to the Post, said: “We do tell the Indians they’ve to deal with underlying causes”.

An Indian diplomat is quoted as saying in the report that New Delhi is prepared to resume a political dialogue with Pakistan but first wants to see a period of quiet during which Gen Musharraf demonstrates his seriousness about stemming militant infiltration.

The Post also carries a first leader outlining the tense situation in South Asia and saying: “The key to a solution lies in a forceful approach to Mr Musharraf, who must be asked again to choose between alliance with the civilized world and terrorism. His government must take effective action against Kashmiri militant groups in a way that will be visible to India. Mr Vajpayee, in turn, must persuade his military and party to accept such action as preferable to war, and stand down his forces.”

The paper’s report says US officials are “focussed like a laser beam in trying to stop a war over the next two or three weeks”, before the onset of the monsoon, and asserts that the Musharraf government has decided to take whatever steps are necessary to prevent extremists from crossing over into Indian territory. The army’s 10th Corps has been ordered to block mountain roads used by militants.