WASHINGTON, Jan 5: Developments between Pakistan and India continue to be closely monitored here in Washington, and as part of its diplomatic effort to reduce tensions between the two countries, the United States is considering sending a special envoy to South Asia.

This was indicated by Secretary of State Colin Powell in his BBC interview on Friday (partly reported in Dawn, although he gave no details.

In the meantime, General Francis Taylor, head of the State Department’s counter-terrorism office, is due to travel to Islamabad and New Delhi later this month on a trip that was originally scheduled to take place last weekend.

There was no immediate reaction to Saturday’s developments at the Saarc summit in Kathmandu, where President Pervez Musharraf said he wished to extend a hand of friendship to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and then shook hands with the Indian prime minister. But for the past several days, the State Department has been urging leaders of India and Pakistan to take the opportunity of the Saarc summit to discuss scaling down tensions between their two countries.

This was again stressed at the department’s briefing on Friday afternoon by spokesman Richard Boucher, who said that the United States hoped that the governments of India and Pakistan would utilize the opportunities at Kathmandu to ease tensions and hold direct discussion.

The question of at some point tackling the underlying problem of Kashmir has also been getting attention from both Secretary Powell and State Department officials. In his BBC interview, Mr Powell said the Kashmir issue had been there for “many, many years,” and would have to be part of a dialogue between the two parties in due course. But right now the focus should be on tackling the dangerous situation created on the borders by troop movements.

At the State Department, Mr Boucher, asked to address the same question, said: “How does one address this issue? First and foremost, you address it by trying to keep these two countries from entering into armed conflict with each other over this terrible (Indian parliament) bombing and the attacks that have occurred. Second of all, you try to get at the sources of violence and the sources of terrorism. Each of these countries has a role in the fight against terrorism, and we have seen them step up to the plate and take steps against terrorism generally. And we have seen President Musharraf take steps to take actions against militant groups and against the sources of the violent expression of political views.”

Third, Mr Boucher said, there was a fundamental issue of Kashmir, “and we have always encouraged the parties to engage in direct dialogue on the subject and to try to resolve the political issues in a political manner.

‘‘So, I would say the approach we have taken has been on those sort of three different levels. And obviously the level of ending the rush toward confrontation is the first and foremost now, and ending the violent activity of extremist groups is obviously the key to defusing that and getting a political process between the two countries, eventually.”

Mr Boucher, saying that the crisis caused by recent developments between Pakistan and India was by no means over yet and remained dangerous, said the US wanted the two countries to seek a political and diplomatic solution to this problem. “We are working with India, as well as with Pakistan, to try to find ways to de-escalate, ways to defuse tensions, ways to keep —— move forward towards reduction and an end to the violence, and an eventual dialogue about how to resolve the crisis.”