Washington: Stating that the US had been "gaining ground in bringing India and Pakistan together" Secretary of State Colin Powell said that despite July 22's terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir both sides are committed to dialogue.

"A lot has happened and even with what happened in Kashmir over the last 24 hours, I think both sides are now committed to improving the dialogue," he told 'Washington Times'.

Powell said he spoke to the External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha on July 22, adding "we talked about the bus route that has been opened, return of the High Commissioner, exchange of documents, the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) meeting, a regional conference that will be held in Islamabad where India will be attending."

He said US has been "gaining ground in bringing the India and Pakistan together", adding in the sub continent "we probably have the best relations we have had with India and Pakistan now than in many years.

"And it was because of that, I think, that it allowed us to play a very helpful role in diffusing the crisis that we were all writing about and thinking about last summer just about this time. And we no longer see the sub continent as solely an India-Pak-US problem, but US-India, US-Pakistan."

"And both countries realise that US is now an honest friend of both and we can help both as they move towards one another.

"Last year at this time I was up to my ears with concern about a conflict that might break out because of the mobilisation that had taken place, many of you colleagues were even writing about the potential of nuclear war," he added.

PTI