New Delhi: US Secretary of State Colin Powell showed "greater understanding" of India's concerns on Pakistan-backed cross-border terrorism and did not put forth any defense of President Pervez Musharraf during his meeting with Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, informed sources said on July 29.

During his 45-minute meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister on July 28, the sources said the top American official did not make any specific reference to de-escalatory measures on India's part.

Advani told Powell that despite Musharraf's assurances to the world community to end infiltration, Pakistan has not abandoned its designs and continued to use terrorism as an instrument of state policy, they said.

The Deputy Prime Minister informed him that India was not convinced that Pakistan was sincere and that the government has no evidence to suggest that it was committed to take action against terrorists and the terrorist infrastructure existing across the border, the sources said.

The terrorist infrastructure that has been built in Pakistan over the years included funding and financial pipeline of terrorists, training camps, supply of weapons and gun-running and communication network.

At the meeting, Advani also said that India would continue its own battle against terrorism, the sources said maintaining that the Deputy Prime Minister informed Powell that the government had gone out of its way to invite Musharraf last year for the Agra Summit.

Making it clear that New Delhi was not against dialogue with Pakistan, the sources said Advani conveyed to the US official that a conducive atmosphere did not exist for it at this juncture.

PTI