Monday, September 25 2006 12:06 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New York: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said that the Indo-Pak anti-terror mechanism was a test for both countries, responding to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement that it was a test for Islamabad.

"The test is on both sides," Musharraf told reporters yesterday replying to a question about Singh's statement.

Brushing aside criticism against the formation of a joint mechanism with Pakistan to fight terrorism, the Prime Minister had said in a press conference in Nainital that it was aimed at testing Islamabad on implementing its promise to end the scourge directed against India.

"The criticism against setting up of the joint mechanism is not right. There is no change in our approach on terrorism," Singh had said.

Musharraf who was talking to reporters after arriving from a health check-up in Dallas said.

"An institutional arrangement is required for both sides this institutional arrangement will give comfort to both sides -we also have some observations about interference in our country," he said.

The Pakistani President said he has been able to remove some misperceptions about the peace deal in North Waziristan, saying that every one was now "on board." "We have to understand the new environment and then finalise a strategy and take it to the implementation stage," he said.