NEW DELHI, Jan 10: Pakistan is sincere in seeking peace with India after its pledge not to allow "terrorism" from its territory, US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said in an interview broadcast on Saturday.

"It is clear to me that the government of Pakistan is exerting efforts. They want to give this peace initiative a chance," Mr Armitage told the Indian news channel NDTV.

"I don't ascribe all of the cross-border violence across the Line of Control to the government of Pakistan," he said.

The deputy secretary said President Gen Pervez Musharraf "will not be terrorized into going along another path other than the search for peace on which he is engaged with (Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari) Vajpayee."

"This is good for India, good for Pakistan and God knows it is good for the people of Kashmir."

Mr Armitage said the United States had at "key moments" talked to Pakistan and India to bring down tensions, but dismissed speculation that Washington had brokered the breakthrough.

"No, I think that gives us too much credit," he said when asked if Washington acted as a facilitator between New Delhi and Islamabad. He said "the fact of the matter is...that it is the political courage and statesmanship of Prime Minister Vajpayee as well as the courage and statesmanship of President Musharraf which brought this remarkable development into being."-Agencies