ISLAMABAD, June 24: President General Pervez Musharraf said on Friday that Pakistan remained firm in its commitment to root out terrorism but stressed the cooperation of international community and regional countries was critical to the success of the anti-terrorism campaign.

Talking to Dr Stephen Krasner, Director for Policy Planning in the US State Department, who had called on him here, the president said responsibility in this respect had to be shared by all concerned.

Pakistan, he added, would continue to extend support to Afghanistan in its effort to achieve peace and stability in the country.

Gen Musharraf reiterated his vision of Pakistan as a moderate and progressive Islamic state and an anchor of peace and stability in the region, a statement from the Foreign Office said.

On Pakistan-India relations, the president observed that the two countries were moving in the right direction and had brought about considerable improvement in their bilateral relations.

He noted that a number of confidence-building measures (CBM) had been taken. However, he stressed that for the dialogue to succeed, the two countries needed to resolve the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir as well as other outstanding issues.

Gen Musharraf expressed satisfaction over the pace and depth of Pakistan-US relations, saying they had acquired a new strategic dimension based on shared interests.

Dr Krasner is on a three-day visit to Pakistan. US Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker was present at the meeting.—APP